Educational Component
for Au Pairs
Schedule of Upcoming Classes
Last Updated December 4, 2014
The U.S. Department of State requires that all au pairs must complete 6 credits
(or its equivalent if it is a non-credit course - 6 CEUs or at least 72 hours of
classes) at an accredited post-secondary institution over the course of their year
in the U.S. Host families are responsible for contributing up to $500 of this cost.
Host families are also responsible for facilitating enrollment, providing time off and
transportation (car and gas money or money towards public transportation) so
that their au pair can attend these courses.
Au pairs are able to take credit courses, non-credit courses, or credit courses not for credit. Only if a
course is a non-credit course we are able to count the classroom hours.
 Credit Course: Generally any course that is offered to a full time student which a school has
assigned a set credit value that the student will receive upon completion. Cultural Care will
count the credits that the school assigned to the course.
 Non-Credit Course: A non-credit course is a course that a school has not assigned a set credit
value to. These are usually offered through the community or continuing education
departments of colleges and universities. Cultural Care will count the classroom hours of
the course since no credits are assigned to the course and go by the educational standard
that 12 hours = 1 credit.
 Auditing Courses: Some schools allow students to take a credit course, but the student can
elect not to receive a grade or be awarded transferable credits. This is usually referred to
as auditing a course and some schools allowing auditing for discounted rates. Not all
schools allow people to audit courses and it is often at the discretion of the teacher and
based on space available. If an au pair chooses to audit a course, Cultural Care will count
the credits that the school assigns the class (even though the au pair is not being graded
nor actually receiving transferable credit.) Au pairs cannot count hours for an audited class
that has credits assigned by the school.
IMPORTANT EXTENSION INFORMATION
An au pair must complete his or her educational component requirement in their first year by the
end of the 11th month* to be eligible to extend. Au pairs who are extending do not have the full 12
months to complete their courses, as Cultural Care must submit the extension request to the
Department of State 30 days before the end of the au pairs first year. The Department of State will not
accept an extension request that does not include proof that the au pair completed the educational
component. Any courses they take must end prior to the last day of the 11th month* and cannot
extend into their extension program term.
The educational component requirement for the extension program varies depending on the length of
time an au pair extends for.
 For 12 and 9 month extension au pairs they must complete 6 credits and the host family is
responsible for paying up to $500.
 For 6 month extension au pairs the must complete 3 credits and the host family is responsible
for paying up to $250.
Au pairs are required to complete educational requirement during their extension term as well. If an
au pair has completed more than the required 6 credits during her initial year, extra credits may be
carried over to the approved program extension. However au pairs cannot make up for missed credits
in their first year by taking extra credits during the extension term.
*If au pair's 11th month date falls on Saturday or Sunday she/he must complete her/his education
by the previous Thursday. Please contact me directly if you have questions regarding the dates by
when you need to finish your education.
Borough of Manhattan Community College - Weekend courses
School Website - Click Here
CHECK OUT SCHOOL WEBSITE FOR CLASS AND TOUR TIMES AND PRICES. CLASSES MEET EITHER IN ARLINGTON OR DC.
CLASSES AND TOURS ARE AVAILABLE FOR:
Niagara Falls
Philadelphia & Amish Country
Chicago
Nashville
Montreal
Sojourner Douglass College Wekend Courses in MD, DC, IL, FL, TN, GA, TX, CA, VA
School Website - Click Here
Visit the school website for dates and classes information - CLICK ON OPEN COURSES and then select a state to view all
classes.
Long Island University POST CAMPUS Weekend Courses in NY
School Website - Click Here
The College of Saint Rose - Weekend Classes at the Silver Bay Campus in Albany NY and
Las Vegas NV
School Website - Click Here
ALL COURSES ARE HELD ON THE SILVER BAY, NY CAMPUS UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE.
NATIONAL LOUIS UNIVERSITY
Au Pair Weekend Program in Chicago, Illinois AND Tampa, FL NOTE: DOES NOT INCLUDE HOUSING
Course Website - click here to view all information about dates, classes and cost.
Northern Virginia Community College
American Culture and Language Institute
Workforce Development
School Website - Click Here
CLICK THE SPRING 2015 BROCHURE ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE TO BROWSE INFORMATION ABOUT ESL
AND OTHER CLASSES on all campuses (Loudon, Reston, Annandale, Manassas). Classes are available in a
variety of subjects including: ESL, Spanish, Arabic, Italian, Computer and IT Skills, Photography, Teaching
English and more!
REMEMBER YOU CAN NOT TAKE ONLINE CLASSES!!!
New ESL students MUST take a placement test.
Stratford University - Falls Church, VA
Au Pair Classes have been offered in the past in Event Management and Culinary Arts
For more information and to receive a sign up form, please contact Alice Conway:
ALICE CONWAY, CSEP
Director Event Management
Stratford University
7777 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church VA 22043
703-734-5329
aconway@stratford.edu
Virginia International University - Fairfax, VA
For Course and Registration information click here
To view the Schedule of Classes click here. Classes include ESL, TOEFL Prep and their 1/2 CEU Saturday morning
Day at the Museum classes.
LADO International College: An Institute of English as a Second Language
Campuses: Washington DC, Arlington VA, Silver Spring MD
English classes and workshops are offered in the morning, evening, Saturdays.
For the schedule, click here.
Placement test is required!
Arlington Saturday morning classes
9am-1:30pm
International Language Institute
Campuses: Washington DC and Gaithersburg MD
Classes offered: English as a Second Language, Other Foreign Languages, Test Preparation, Certificate Program, Translation
Services.
School Website - Click Here
For evening and Saturday classes click here.
Universities in Washington DC
Corcoran College of Art and Design
Georgetown University - School of Continuing Studies
Georgetown University is offering classes through CLED Department - http://cledsp.georgetown.edu/
Graduate School - Washington DC
American University - School of Professional and Extended Studies
Georgetown University Washington, DC
Free English Class
Free Basic English courses.
This course includes instruction in listening, speaking, pronunciation, reading, writing, and grammar. It is open to any adult nonnative English speaker (at least 18 years old).
The course is made up of five 2-hour classes, held on the Georgetown University campus. Students who attend all five classes will
receive a certificate of completion.
Please email tefl@georgetown.edu if you have any questions.
L'Academie de Cuisine, Maryland
Their recreational weekend classes count towards fulfilling the education component. They have locations in Bethesda and
Gaithersburg. They have a professional program that last several weeks, but they also offer individual classes that last usually
from two to five hours. Cultural Care will count the classroom hours of the course since no credits are assigned to the course and
go by the educational standard that 12 hours = 1 credit.
You can search for classes at:
http://www.lacademie.com/programs/recreational/Recreational-Calendar/
The number of hours needed for three credits would be significant, and thus the cost of the individual classes may add up quickly,
so this may work well for those of you who only need to make up ½ CEU to 1.5 CEUs. For example, If you needed to just make up
one credit (12 hours) then you could take a 3 hour Cupcake course for $85, a 3 hour Tapas cooking class for $85, a 3 hour Basic
Knife Skills course for $80, and a 3 hour course on Gluten free cooking for $70 (so that would be $320 for that 1 CEU, but it could
be also be a lot of fun!). They also have cake decorating, courses on soups and sauces, cheesemaking, and candymaking to name
a few.
George Mason University - Potomac Arts Academy
http://potomacacademy.gmu.edu/Classes/ArtClasses.html Looking for a fun way to learn how to paint or draw? The Potomac Arts Academy in Fairfax, VA offers the perfect blend
of university-quality art teachers and a friendly environment with other community members. In addition to art classes, they
offer music and acting classes.
*Note: If online registration is closed, space may still be available! Please call the office to check (703) 993-9889.
Educational Options which DO NOT Count Towards Required Educational Completion
 Online or distance learning courses (including hybrid courses)
 County Public Schools Adult Education Classes
 Study tours such as Trek America
 Volunteering
 Internships
Classes Online - WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT!
FREE ESL Online Classes
Real English
Coursera - Different Courses - Online Classes for FREE
Local FREE or LOW COST English Classes - WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT!
ACE - Adult and Community Education - Fairfax County
Loudoun County Adult Education
Reston Interfaith
English as a Second Language and Immigrant Ministries
English Classes in Fairfax County, VA
Reston Library FREE English Group Practice
Libraries
Our local libraries offer free English conversation groups. The library in Vienna has a free English lesson at 10am during the
week, but there are other nearby libraries that are a short drive away that offer evening classes (Tysons-Pimmit library in
Falls Church, Dolley Madison library in Mclean and Oakton Library in Oakton).
You could also search on the Fairfax County Library main site for additional locations and times.
Local ESL Classes: http://www.nvdynamicenglish.org/index.php/en/for-students/local-esl-classes
Vienna Presbyterian Church
St. Mark's Catholic Church
Mclean Bible Church
How do I know if school is accredited?
Below are two useful websites that can be used to research post-secondary accredited institutions:
 US Department of Education Office of Post-Secondary Education
 Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Any course offered by institutions found on the above websites is acceptable provided that it is not an online/distance learning
course, study tour, internship or volunteering program.
Documents
Educational Component Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of State Program Guidelines
Frequently Asked Questions

What are the repercussions if an au pair does not complete their educational component?
o She/he will not be able to extend her/his program year
o She/he will not be an au pair in good standing with the program
o She/he will not have successfully completed the program
o She/he may be terminated from the program early
o She/he will not be eligible to participate in the repeat au pair program
What proof does Cultural Care require to show that an au pair finished their course(s)?
o Confirmation from the school that proves they completed the course and clearly mentions how many credits or hours the
course(s) was worth. This can be in the form of a certificate, a letter from the teacher or a transcript from the school.
Does the au pair need to send in her certificates from school to Cultural Care in Boston?
o The au pair only needs to submit certificates to the Boston office if she/he would like to extend. If the au pair is not
extending, it is enough to show the certificates to the LCC, who can then respond to the Program Completion Form they
received when the au pair filled it out online.
How many courses is an au pair allowed to take?
o An au pair can take as many courses as long as they add up to at least 6 credits!
Can an au pair choose to count a course in classroom hours or credits?
o No. Cultural Care must count the course in the same way that the school does. Only if it is a non-credit course are we able to
count the classroom hours.
How many credits is a CEU worth?
o 1 CEU (continuing education unit) is equal to 1 credit.
If an au pair is at the end of his/her year and has completed 5 credits worth of courses can they still extend?
o They cannot extend unless they are able to complete one more credit, or 12 classroom hours in the case of a non-credit
course, 30 days before the last day of their first year.
Can an au pair take a course that begins in their first year but ends in their second year?
o The Department of State requires that they must complete the 6 credits prior to the end of their 11th month; therefore they
must find a course that will end no later than 30 days before the end of her/his first year. If the 30 day deadline falls on a
weekend, the final deadline might be a few days earlier, so if there is an au pair who would like to extend and whose
class ends very close to the 30 day mark, please contact the Operations department at 800-4485753 or aupair.operations@culturalcare.com to ensure that the class ends on time and she/he is eligible to extend.
Can an au pair carry extra credits from their first year over to their extension program term?
o Yes, if an au pair has completed more than 6 credits at the end of their initial program year, the excess credits or hours can
be applied toward the educational requirement for the extension program term. Proper documentation of these
additional credits/hours (transcript, certificate, etc) will need to be maintained by the au pair and submitted to the LCC at
the completion of the extension term to serve as proof that the credits/hours were completed.
Can an au pair make up for missing credits from their first year in their extension program term?
o No, au pairs must complete 6 credits prior to the end of the 11th month of their first year in order to extend their program.