Cultural Care Au Pairs and San Ramon Valley Fire Department Focus on Fire and CO Poisoning Prevention

Cultural Care Au Pairs and San Ramon Valley Fire Department Focus on Fire and CO Poisoning Prevention

San Ramon, CA, October 20, 2014 — According to Safe Kids USA, fires and burns are the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under. Recognizing this, on November 12, 2014, local Cultural Care au pairs from the towns of San Ramon and Danville will meet at the San Ramon Fire District Office for a fire safety meeting hosted by Cultural Care Au Pair and members of the San Ramon Valley Fire Department.

According to Local Childcare Consultant, Nicole Biondi, educating au pairs on fire safety is a top priority for parents. “Au pairs are often the primary caregivers for many local families during the day and in the evenings as well. Fire safety training is important because it reinforces their knowledge of what to do if there is an emergency, starting with getting themselves and the children out of the house should a fire break out.”

The training is part of Cultural Care Au Pair’s ongoing Continuing Safety Education Program (CSEP), which requires local childcare consultants to review safety education with au pairs throughout their year-long stay in the United States. Au pairs also learn safety protocol during their 4-day stay at the Cultural Care Au Pair training school in New York before they arrive to their host families’ homes.

The San Ramon and Danville au pairs together represent the countries of Austria, Argentina, Brazil, China, Columbia, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Sweden, and Thailand. Biondi, a resident of San Ramon, supports area parents and au pairs, advising them of educational opportunities, as well as organizing fun activities for the entire extended family to enjoy.

“I am always looking for ways to make safety training and education enjoyable for our au pairs,” said Biondi. According to Biondi, the training will cover everything from smoke detectors to safely and quickly getting out of a home in the case of a fire, with an emphasis on the cultural differences on handling an emergency here in the United States as opposed to other parts of the world. “When you invite an au pair into your home, programs like these assure that you leave your children in the most capable hands possible. It is comforting as a parent to know that your children are with a caregiver you can trust.”

Nicole Biondi suggests these safety tips for local families:

· Test smoke and CO alarms once a month and replace batteries once a year

· Make sure you have a fire alarm on every floor of your home

· Plan fire escape routes for your family and identify a meeting place outside the home in case of an emergency

· Keep matches, gasoline, and all flammable materials locked away and out of a child’s reach

· Never leave cooking food unattended

· Introduce children to a firefighter, so they will know not to be scared in the case of a fire

· Avoid plugging several appliance chords into the same electrical socket

· Consider buying safety ladders for upper levels of your home and show older children how to use them

For more information on inviting an au pair into your home, call Nicole Biondi at 925-719-9767 or visit www.nbiondi.aupairnews.com.

About Cultural Care Au Pair
Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading provider of intercultural live-in childcare. Since 1989, Cultural Care Au Pair has placed more than 95,000 au pairs in welcoming American homes. A division of EF Education and a U.S. Department of State regulated program, Cultural Care Au Pair is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., with an extensive network of recruitment, screening and orientation offices worldwide. For more information about hosting an au pair, visit www.nbiondi.aupairnews.com or call 925-719-9767.