Our Curriculum
Au Pair Link provides Host Families (who have at least 1 child under 5 years of age and are based in one of our Ministry of Education licensed regions) with a quality Early Childhood Education curriculum. Our New Zealand Ministry of Education approved curriculum assists with the early developmental and educational needs of children under 5 years of age and helps guide your Au Pair – giving them fun activities and ideas to implement (aiding early childhood learning and growth).
Our curriculum has been developed in line with the Ministry of Education’s Early Childhood curriculum known as Te Whaariki. Te Whaariki is the Early Childhood Education curriculum framework in New Zealand. It covers the education and care of children from birth to school age. Our Early Childhood Education services help your children learn to:
- Be curious
- Become involved/find an interest
- Persist with difficulty (for example, by having ideas for problem-solving)
- Communicate their ideas (for example, through language or art)
- Take responsibility (for example, respond to others and assess their own achievements).
HOW AU PAIR LINK IMPLEMENTS TE WHAARIKI
The literal meaning of Te Whaariki is ‘the woven mat’. Au Pair Link uses the principles and strands of the Te Whaariki curriculum to weave together a programme of learning for your children. Your children’s strengths and interests, all the things they learn as part of their family and the learning opportunities that Au Pair Link provides are woven together to form a unique “learning story”.
COMMUNICATION BOOKS AND CHILD PORTFOLIOS
We provide each child under 5 years of age with an individual Child Portfolio which tracks learning and their yearly accomplishments as well as a Communication Folder to be used by the Host Family and their Au Pair. The Communication Folder helps to establish a clear (daily) dialogue between families and Au Pairs to ensure that the day-to-day developmental and appropriate care needs of each child are being met.
PLAYGROUPS
Au Pair Link runs weekly playgroups in all of our New Zealand Ministry of Education licensed regions for children under 5 years of age. In some areas we run 2 play dates weekly which gives Au Pairs the chance to bring the children along to several different sessions. During our playgroup sessions we often arrange a specific activity for the children (such as a dress-up day). We ask all of our Au Pairs to frequently attend playgroup with the children as it gives them a chance to meet other Au Pairs, as well as have an informal regular meeting with their Programme Manager. Social Interaction with other children is also an important learning component of Te Whaariki.
MONTHLY MEETINGS
Au Pair Link employs Programme Managers (all fully qualified Early Childhood Education teachers) in our New Zealand Ministry of Education licensed regions and their key objective is to work alongside the Au Pairs to ensure that the children in their care have a suitable learning environment, support and resources. At least once every month your Programme Manager will visit your home and meet with your Au Pair. It’s important that Au Pairs are always available for these monthly meetings - implementing an Early Childhood Education curriculum is a fantastic opportunity for your Au Pair to learn professional childcare skills and further improve their English.
AU PAIR & CHILD OUTINGS
Our curriculum provides the opportunity for children and Au Pairs to explore their local communities through organised activities. Au Pair Link organises Au Pair and child outings on a monthly basis. Generally we invite the Au Pairs and children to the zoo, a farm or the beach etc. If it is an activity which costs money then we will generally subsidise the entire or partial cost for you and your children (this does not apply to Au Pair only outings). The Au Pair and child outings are a great opportunity for your Au Pair and children to meet and interact with other Au Pairs and children in your local community.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Au Pair Link organises bi-monthly Professional Development sessions for our Au Pairs – conducted by our qualified teachers. These are a fantastic opportunity for your Au Pair to learn more about childcare, civil defence, child nutrition, behaviour management and so much more! Please note that it is compulsory for Au Pairs to attend workshops, outings and activities.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Au Pair Link has free educational resources that you can have access to as part of our Ministry of Education licensed programmes. These include children’s books, toys, music and resource kits. Our educational resource kits have been developed by our qualified Early Childhood Education teachers and are based around the different interest areas of children (e.g. art, music, dinosaurs, insects, the alphabet etc). They are designed to be used in the home and can be borrowed for 1 month at a time.
For more information regarding our curriculum, please contact us.