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The Payne Family House Rules

…the key to success is communication…

Important: READ FIRST

Dear Maria,

We are so excited to have you become a part of our family for the next one (or two) years. We want to have a comfortable, happy family and for you to become part of that excitement.

These rules and guidelines are designed to help you understand our family better. If anything in this book is confusing or needs clarification, please let us know. As our twins grow, we may need to make additions to this.

After you have read this, we will all sit down together and discuss each section to make sure you understand and to address any questions you may have. You can ‘take notes’ or jot down questions as you go through this.

Always remember, if you have a question, a problem or don’t agree with something, you can TALK TO US. We want to communicate with you at all times.

Your LCC is Sondra. Please call her with any issue/problem you feel like you can’t discuss with us (I hope this doesn’t happen, but), she is available to help you throughout the year.

Sondra Mobile Home

Email

BASIC FAMILY INFORMATION (this is also posted on the refrigerator)

Other Info: Our Region: Southeastern USA Our State: South Carolina Our County: York

1. Address:

2. Cell phone numbers:Kellie (call first)Tracy (call second)Maria (your cell)

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OUR CHILDREN- Olivia and Annaliese are identical twins, born October 17th, 2008. They were born weighing around 4lbs, but you wouldn’t know it now.

Olivia Cecille is older (by 12 minutes) and has a delightful personality. She loves to smile and laugh. Her favorite toys are usually baby dolls/Barbies. She is a VERY good eater and loves to snack! Olivia has lots of energy and likes to be entertained. She likes to act and will often play the role of princess or the hero. Olivia adores singing songs and loves to give compliments. She is very affectionate.

Annaliese Courtney is a bit smaller than Olivia. She is really sweet, but can be determined. She loves to sing and play with Barbies. She is a good eater, but will push food away when she is full. She also likes to act. When she wants to be the princess, she'll try to get Olivia to be the prince. It’s very funny.

Both girls love it when we sing silly songs. They dance around and show off by imitating what adults do. They are fascinated by Princesses on TV/Movies, but we want to limit the amount of TV they watch. They also love Russian Cartoons.

1. Activities that our children enjoy, and we encourage, include:Area Activity Type Area Activity Type Inside Play Music (CD’s) Basket Outside Dance Classes Formal Inside Dress-Up (Princess) Bedroom Wall Outside Catch and Chase Impromptu Inside Auto Mechanic & Tools Bin Outside Hide and Seek Impromptu Inside Barbie & Ken Dolls Bin Outside Nature Walk Outside Impromptu Inside Beauty Shop Bin Outside Sunset Point Beach Impromptu Inside Paper Dolls Bin Outside Swinging on Playground Impromptu Inside Small Disney Dolls Bin Outside Camping Set Bin Kit Inside Tea Party Bin Outside Ride bikes/tricycles Sports Inside Vet Doctor Bin Outside Soccer Sports Inside Wooden Magnet Dolls Bin Outside Softball Sports Inside Russian Lessons Bookshelf Outside Football Sports Inside Read books Bookshelf Outside Jump Rope Sports Inside Board Games Hall Closet Outside Golf Sports Inside Matching Game Hall Closet Outside Basketball Sports Inside Learn to Tie Shoes Impromptu Inside Perform on Stage with Mics Impromptu Inside Singing Silly Songs Impromptu Inside Social Skills Impromptu Inside Tickling Impromptu Inside Cash Register Kitchen Inside Cleaning Supplies Kitchen Inside Cooking Kitchen Inside Grocery Shopping Kitchen Inside Painting Laundry Inside Stamps/Art/Color/Paint Laundry Inside Ballet Video with Bars Living Room Inside Surf Videos with Boards Living Room Inside Play School with Chalk Board Playroom Inside Puppet Show Playroom Inside Play Dough Refrigerator Inside Sort Pies and Popsicles Shelf Inside Bath time fun Tub

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We expect you to be an active participant in the twins’ daily care. We encourage anything age appropriate that is creative/educational. If you need ideas, we can get books from the Library or from our Resource Closet. Children learn more than most adults give them credit for. We want the twins to learn other languages, express their creativity, play outside and explore the world together.

**At this age, the girls will learn more than at any other age, we need to make sure we are always showing them new things and letting them experience the world. Nothing should be forced; it should always be in the spirit of fun and exploration. It is also proven that children learn quicker if accompanied by lots of love and hugs. Positive physical touch increases brain stimulation and helps both mental and physical development. The girls are used affection and cuddling with all who have ever been with them and I hope you will continue that tradition. We try to praise them all the time!

Please use our COMMUNICATION JOURNAL to record anything important that you think we should know about their daily activities or accomplishments.

2. Our children are allowed to play at the homes of these families:Meredith (from Ballet Class); Mya, Anne Brensley, Bradley Paige (from Pre-school); Grandparentshouses, Aunt Paige (Kellie’s sister) & Uncle David’s house; Charlotte (friend in Charlotte)

3. When our children are upset, this is what works best to calm them down:Take a deep breath; Shake it off; Hug them, laugh with them; Singing to them; Refocus them toanother activity.

4. Additional information about the children:The girls typically wake up around 7:00am and are ready to be fed. You will wake them, dressthem and feed them a sippy cup of warm milk, a waffle or pancake and some fruit. Brush teeth,wash faces/hands and brush hair/hair bow. If it’s a school day, they will leave the house by8:40am to be on time for school to start at 9am. They will be picked up from school eachweekday at 12pm and need to be fed. Some days they will have formal activities, other daysyou will plan their activities. We typically eat around 6:30-7pm and start getting them ready forbed close to 8pm. Every other night they get a bath before bed. The girls have very sensitiveand dry skin.

5. Bed time Routines:The typical bedtime routine involves some quite time to unwind. It is best to keep this a prettypeaceful time so they will go to bed easier. They will have a bath at 7:30pm. This is followed byputting on pajamas, brushing teeth, washing face/hands and reading stories. The girls are goodsleepers, but occasionally wake in the middle of the night. I will attend to them if this happens.They know not to bother you at night time, unless it’s an emergency. They know how to go tothe bathroom by themselves in the middle of the night. For safety, please make sure the nurserywindows are closed/locked at night and that the blinds are closed.

6. How do we expect you to behave around our children?Most importantly, lead by example. The children will watch how you behave and will behavethe same. Please do not curse, smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs. When you are “on duty” weexpect your focus to be on the twins, not on the computer, phone, etc. If someone calls youwhile you are working, please make the conversation as brief as possible and tell them you willcall them back when you are “off duty”. Please do not text during the day. We want you to beattentive to our children.

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7. We encourage good behavior in our children by rewarding them with:Praise, hugs and kisses, happy dances, stickers, special snacks or your choice!!!

8. When our children misbehave, you may discipline them by:Putting them in time-out/corner, asking them to apologize. If they throw a tantrum, we will askthem to calm down, if they don’t then they either go to the corner or go sit on their bed untilthey calm down by themselves. We do not offer hugs until after the child calms down andunderstands what they have done wrong. We also teach them to apologize and look theperson in the eyes when they say it. Stricter discipline may be necessary as they learn to testyour limits. BE FIRM. A well-disciplined child is a happy child.

9. Our children enjoy eating the following snacks and meals:They will usually eat anything that you make for yourself.Snacks include: All types of fruit, raisins, peanuts, yogurt, applesauce, pretzels, goldfish crackers,peanut butter, granola bars, pop-tarts

Meals include: Kasha, spaghetti, steak, chicken, turkey, fish, rice and pasta, broccoli, carrots,tomatoes, salad, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

We encourage you to make Russian and German food for them to try. We have a family saying,“You don’t know if you will like it until you try it”. Even if they don’t like the food, they have totake a “baby bite”.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

1. The RED fire extinguisher will be located underneath kitchen sink.

2. Our fire evacuation plan is: to quickly assessthe situation. We have 5 DoorExits in our house. Decide which exit isclosest and if you are home alone,gather both girls with you. If we’rehome, we will help you gather the girls.Immediately leave the house with thegirls and go down the hill. Our meetingspot outside the house is the mailbox atthe end of the driveway. Here is adiagram of the exits in the house.

3. In the case of a medical emergency,you should call 911 and then:

a) Call Kellie at (704) 819-5914b) If you can’t reach her,

Call Tracy (803) 517-1615c) Call Grandparents or other

family (phone numbers onrefrigerator)

4. The children are allergic to the following:

So far, the girls have no allergies, but having milk and oranges/juice around the sametime will cause them to have diarrhea and an upset stomach.

5. Home entry policy: We live in a VERY safe area, but when we’re not here, the only people youare allowed to let in the house include family members. If we have any repairmen come tothe house, we will schedule it when we’re home or give you advanced notice. The mailmanwill leave packages on the porch, but never comes in. If the doorbell rings, don’t open thedoor. If you’re not expecting anyone to visit, it’s best not to open the door at all. Always keepthe front doors, patio doors and laundry doors locked when you are at home.

-When you leave the house, please lock all doors and windows (including patio doors) andcarry your house keys with you at all times. Lock all the doors and windows when you arehome alone or at night.-Please keep car doors locked at all times when car is parked anywhere, even in front of thehouse. **Additionally, always leave your keys on hook by the door in case one of us needs touse the car.

6. Medical Insurance: Keep your medical insurance card on you when you leave the house. Wewill help take you to the doctor if you get sick. Always make sure that a doctors’ officeaccepts your insurance before you set up an appointment, as some doctors offices will chargeyou out of pocket expenses.

Window

Twins Room

Kitchen & Living Room

Bathroom

Au Pair’s Bedroom

Parents’ Bedroom

Front Exit Door

Window

Window

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indow

Bathroom

Laundry

Play Room

Dining Room

Patio Exit

Doors

Patio Exit Door

Exit Door

Window

Win

dow

Win

dow

Win

dow

Window Window

Window

Closet

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CHILDCARE SCHEDULE (45 hours per week, no more than 10 hours per day)

Your schedule will be slightly different each week depending on our work schedules. Sometimes you will work at night. Sometimes you will work on the weekends. We will take you on vacation with us and some of that time you will be working as well.

Your schedule will be given to you each Sunday night. I will text it to you and write it in the Communication Journal. Sometimes we will need to make changes to the schedule at the last minute. We will try to give you as much notice as possible. Sometimes we will work from home; however you will still be responsible for the children while we are working.

You will have 1 ½ days off each week and 1 full weekend (Friday night-Sunday night) off each month. The chart below represents a SAMPLE work week for you:

Day Schedule Hours Monday 8am-5 pm 9 hours Tuesday 8am-5 pm 9 hours Wednesday 8am-5 pm 9 hours Thursday 8am-5 pm 9 hours Friday 1pm-5 pm 4 hours Saturday 7:00 am-12:00pm (not often) 5 hours Sunday Off Duty all day/night 0 hours

Information about giving notice of not being able to work: If you are unable to work, we ask that you give us as much notice as possible so we can make other arrangements for childcare. For example, we would prefer to know the night before as opposed to the day of. In the event that we must take a day off work while you are sick, we may require you to work a different day than normal to make up for the sick day. We will take this case-by-case.

Family Activities All family activities are listed on our family calendar in the kitchen. You have a space on this calendar as well. Please use this to write down classes, meetings, etc, so we have an idea of when you will be out. Please let us know if there is a particular weekend each month that you wish to take off. Also, please talk to us about vacations and when you might like to take yours. We strongly prefer that you take one week of vacation in your first 6 months and the second week of vacation in the second 6 months. IF YOU PLAN TO TAKE A LONG VACATION, WE NEED A LOT OF ADVANCED NOTICE.

In the morning you should be ready to start work at your scheduled time. Please shower if necessary, dress and eat before that time so that you can focus on the children’s needs. It is fine to make lunch and eat with the girls. Most nights we try to eat dinner together. If you will be gone for dinner, please let me know that morning as I often plan dinner in advance. Please let us know if you wish to prepare any meals for the family! We would love to try German and Russian food! Also, if you want to have a friend come over for dinner, just tell us in advance.

We like to plan “date nights” when our schedule allows. This will vary between Friday night, Saturday night or sometimes Sunday. Typically we will try to give you Sundays off. If you have a specific event to attend and it is on a day/night that you are scheduled to work, please let me know in advance and I will see what I can do to change your schedule when possible. We are pretty flexible with the schedule on nights/weekends and want you to be able to take classes, go out with friends, etc….

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HOUSEHOLD RESPONSIBILITIES: The following chart represents your household chores

Responsibilities Frequency Make your own bed Daily. Please change sheets every 2 weeks. Your extra

sheets are stored in the closet.

Tidy up twins’ beds Change sheets weekly or whenever they are dirty or stained. Twin sheets are stored in the hall closet.

Children's laundry Do the twins laundry at least twice a week! I will show you how to put their clothes away. It will build up if you wait longer.

Prepare twins meals/snacks Washing twins/your dishes Load/unload dishwasher

Daily

Unload/load dishwasher Please put your dirty dishes in the dishwasher after your meals.

Picking up after twins (Kids will do this with/for you)

Daily! This is very important – we want to have all kids’ toys, books, clothes, dishes, etc. picked up and put away at the end of every day. This includes all common areas including nursery, kitchen, especially the living room & playroom

Sweep floors in Twins Room and Playroom. Daily. As needed. Use electric broom. You will be sweeping up after the kids, not adults.

Clean off counters after each meal preparation. Daily. As needed. When you are off duty, but have meals with us, we ask that you help like a family member and clear the table, load/unload the dishwasher and tidy the kitchen with us.

Clean your bathroom Daily. Cleaning service will sanitize it twice a month. Please don’t leave dangerous items like razors, pills, or chemicals out where the children could get them.

Your Laundry You are responsible for washing your laundry during the day time, as we may need to use the washing machine and dryer during the evening hours.

Areas to pay particular attention to: Since the girls often bring toys into the living room, it will be your responsibility to make sure toys are organized and put away. We like to rotate out the toys once in awhile so they don’t get bored. Please encourage them to put away their toys and also to help you clean up at the end of playtime.

Although you share a bathroom with the girls, they only need it for baths at bedtime, brushing teeth and going to the potty. So, it will mainly be yours, with private and generous storage. Please help by wiping down counters, putting away toiletries, putting out clean towels, and keeping the toilet area clean. Please try not to stay in the bathroom too long, as the girls may need to go to the potty.

We like to keep our kitchen clean. Please do not leave food out. Please put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or wash by hand and put away. Keep kitchen table and chairs clean and wiped down and the floor underneath the table swept as well. If eating with us, we ask that you help to clean up after as a part of the family. This includes clearing table, loading dishwasher, cleaning counters.

**We will never ask you to do something that we don’t expect of ourselves. Being part of a family means that everyone must participate and help out.

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PAY AND VACATION SCHEDULE

We will always pay you on Friday every week. We will pay you in cash until you get a checking account. Once you have your Social Security card, we will take you to our bank to open an account for you. Once that is done, we will have your stipend deposited into your account each week automatically. You will have a checking/debit card that can be used like cash at most places of business.

Upcoming family vacations: We will always try to include you on our family vacations. Sometimes we require you to go with us as we need the help, but there may be other times that we will not need you to work while we are on vacation but we will invite you to join us if you wish. If you go with us and are required to work we will talk about your schedule before we go.

While we have not set any formal dates for “family vacations” yet, we have intentions of traveling to Myrtle Beach, SC (beach), Charleston, SC (beach), Boone, NC (mountains) and possibly Snowshoe, WV (winter trip) for skiing.

Tracy and I will be out of town at certain times. When we are gone, we will make arrangements for family to stay at our house, with you and the girls. We will arrange your work schedule in advance. We will never ask you to stay with the girls overnight by yourself.

Good (suggested or preferred) times for you to take vacation: We feel that it is very important for you to take one week of your vacation in the first 6 months you are with us and the second week during your second 6 months with us. You could take one of your weeks this summer, if that might work for you. Please let us know as soon as you know (at least a month or two in advance) when you would like to take your vacation so we can make other childcare arrangements.

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FAMILY CAR POLICY AND INSURANCE INFORMATION The Toyota is a family vehicle. Tracy and I will keep a set of keys by the front door. When you

use the car, you can borrow the keys. Be sure to return them to the hook when you return.

You will need to obtain your South Carolina’s drivers license as soon as possible. Please studyfor the written test so that you can take it as soon as possible. Many of your responsibilities withthe kids will involve driving and we need to be assured that you are both a safe driver andcomfortable with the car.

As soon as you have your SC driver’s license, we will add you to our automobile insurance.Until then, if you drive, it will be with us.

Before we allow you to drive the car on your own, or with the children in the car, we will beaccompanying you while you drive. We will do this until we are comfortable with your drivingability and knowledge of the rules of the road. If we feel that you need additional drivinginstruction after a week or two, then we will send you to driving school which we will pay for.

You may use the car off duty, to go to classes and Au Pair meetings, but we must know whereyou are going in the car and when you will be returning home, at all times. This is not becausewe won’t trust you, but more for your safety. Simply text me the location where you are andwho you are with.

We will provide gas for the car while you are using it for on duty driving. You will need to putgas in the car when you drive it for personal use. On average, we will give you $35 per weekfor gas when you are taking classes and $20 when not in classes. This is more than enough foryour car.

We must be aware of who you are transporting in the car at all times. Do not offer rides tostrangers. Never allow anyone else to drive our car. They are not covered by our insurance.We also want to know if you will be transporting friends to your classes, Au Pair meetings andinto Charlotte off duty. We prefer you have only 1 passenger in the car at any given time,otherwise you will have to remove the car seats (which is a big hassle).

PLEASE DO NOT use the cell phone while driving. If you need to make a call, please pull overand park the car. If someone calls you while you are driving, let the call go to voicemail. Then,pull over and call them back. This is especially important if the twins are with you.

IT IS ILLEGAL TO TEXT AND DRIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. PLEASE NEVER DO THIS.

PLEASE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. Also, if you are ever out with someone who has beendrinking and they are driving you somewhere, DO NOT GET IN THE CAR WITH THEM! You canalways call us or call a cab/taxi to come pick you up or get a ride with someone else you knowwho is sober. We would rather you be ALIVE, than be scared to call us.

Obey the seat belt laws. The driver and all passengers MUST wear seat belts at all times. Thetwins must always be strapped into their car seats securely whenever they are riding in the car.All passengers/drivers can be fined and written tickets if seatbelts are not worn.

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We will go over all safety issues concerning the car, such as; where to find the insurance card, emergency supplies, and how to change tires. TAKE YOUR CELL PHONE WITH YOU WHENEVER YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE. This is for your own safety. There is nothing worse than being broken down with no way to call for help.

We will also go over what to do if you have an accident. If you have an accident, it increases the price of our insurance for several years – please be really, really careful! If you have an accident on duty and it is your fault, you will not be responsible for the $500 payment to the insurance company. If you have an accident while you are off duty and using the car for personal use, and it is your fault, you will be responsible for paying $500. (The fee is called a deductible.) This is the way Expert Au Pair has set up the rules.

Driving privileges may be taken away if you receive any tickets for speeding, drive recklessly, have an accident, text/talk on phone while driving. Should you get a speeding ticket, you will be responsible for paying the fines and handling the consequences, which may mean that the government restricts your driving too. Your safety and security are very important to us.

We expect you to be well rested and prepared for work each morning. We want you to have fun, but we also want to make sure it doesn’t interfere with your work. Please use good judgment and try to get plenty of sleep before days that you work.

It is our intention to make sure that you have a great time here in America, but most importantly we want to make sure our children have an Au Pair who is dedicated. A change in curfew can occur if behavior warrants it.

Here are our guidelines regarding automobile insurance: We have auto insurance and you will be added to our policy once you receive your South

Carolina Driver’s license. Until then you are driving as a ‘guest’ and should only drive the carwith one of us, or in the case of an emergency. An insurance card is in the vehicle in the glovecompartment IF you have an accident.

If you are in an accident, the other driver or the police may ask to see the card. You can showit to them. You must collect the following documents/information from the other driver(s)before leaving the scene of the accident: Drivers license number, Name, Address, PhoneNumber, Insurance Company Name/address/phone number/policy number. On the back ofthe card, lists exactly what to do or not to do while at the scene of the accident. NEVER admitthat you were at fault. That is not your job to determine the cause of the accident…leave itup to the police officer on scene.

Driving our children is the most important part of your job as you and they could be harmed.Please be extremely cautious! Our worst fear is having to call your family and tell them thatyou have been injured in an accident. It would be devastating.

Automobile insurance information:USAA 1-800-531-8111

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COMMUNICATION We want you to feel comfortable in our home and with our family. We know how difficult your first few weeks are going to be, especially while you adjust to and learn about our family. We have tried to describe, to the best of our ability, how we communicate with each other about both large and small issues and how we would like you to communicate with us:

In the beginning, we would like to have a weekly meeting on Sundays. We will arrange fordirect deposit of your weekly stipend once we open a checking account for you.

Let’s try to be open and direct with our communication and address issues as they come.Please don’t let concerns build up as they tend to then be bigger issues and are harder toresolve. We will do the same. Never be afraid to ask us questions if you don’t understandsomething or are upset.

If you feel that you are having a hard time communicating with us verbally, feel free to writethings down as sometimes this might be easier for you.

We are not the type of people who yell or raise our voices, not with you and not with eachother. We like to talk, explain how we are feeling and then find a solution that works foreveryone.

We understand that sometimes we may disagree, but we will never be disagreeable.

OFF-DUTY HOURS POLICY We wish to respect your privacy, but we care about your safety. It is important we know

where you are going and when you will be home whenever you are out of the house. We understand that you might not be able to give us specifics on every occasion, but should an emergency occur, either with our family or with your natural family, we would like to be able to contact you.

Carry your cell phone with you at all times and always have the battery charged. On evenings when you are NOT required to work the next morning, but if you come in late,

please realize that we may be working the next morning. Please be considerate and quiet when you come in.

You are allowed to spend the night at your friend’s homes, provided we know where you will be, we have the phone number and that you have permission to stay over.

Your girlfriends are allowed to spend the night here, as long as you are not scheduled to work the next day. We want advance notice if you are having a friend over. We ask that you are not too loud, as your room is next to the girls’ room.

You should always call us in case you are going to be late, even if it wakes us up. We are concerned for your safety at all times. If you are in trouble or do not feel safe driving with the people you are with, you can ALWAYS call us. ALWAYS.

If any unforeseen circumstances cause us to question these rules, we may need to make adjustments. We don’t want to restrict you from anything; we realize you are an adult too.

Please treat our home the same way you would your parents’ home or your own flat!

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VISITORS & GUESTS General Information about visits: If your parents, friends, or other family wish to come and visit you here, that would be fine. Please let us know at least a month ahead of time if you will have guests staying over for more than 2 nights. If you have some local friends that want to stay overnight occasionally, that is fine too. Just make sure that you ask ahead of time to make sure that it is okay with us. No overnight male guests are allowed in our home (other that a family member) as it is difficult to explain this to our children.

TELEPHONE You can use your cell phone for local/USA long distance calls when you are off duty. You

can’t call internationally from your cell phone. Please use Skype or similar to call your friends and family overseas.

Please do not give our phone number or address out to strangers, even boys/girls that you meet for dates. Until we have had the chance to meet them, we would prefer that you take their number and call them, instead of giving out our home phone number and address.

Do not post our phone number or your cell online anywhere, including Skype, Facebook, etc.

We try not to talk on the phone or answer the phone during meals. If your phone rings, please let it go to voicemail and return the call after the meal.

While off duty we will set no restrictions on your phone use, unless it becomes a problem. Please do not talk on the phone during working hours. If someone calls for you, please ask them to call back after you are off. You can use the phone if the kids are asleep and all other chores are done. Please do not make calls (unless it is in an emergency) or text message while you are taking care of the children or working.

TELEVISON We know that our children love TV, however we truly try to limit the hours they watch it. Some educational programs and cartoons are fine. The Pre-School Prep series can help teach them the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes and reading skills. Katya/Tonja/Alina found lots of cartoons on YouTube, but please don’t depend on these to entertain our children.

If you want to watch TV (while the girls nap) once you have completed your daily duties, you are welcome to watch the TV in the living room. Please refrain from watching shows that are very graphic and have lots of bad language. The kids are starting to repeat everything they hear, even bad words.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET USAGE We have wireless internet in our home, so you can access a signal from any room our

outside on the porch. Please do not use the computer while you are working, unless the children are asleep and all other work (cleaning up, etc.) is done.

Please do not subscribe to any inappropriate websites that may be sending responses or solicitations back to our own home email addresses. Please use caution in chat rooms and when posting information online and do not share our home address and phone number with anyone in a chat room or online. We would like to ensure the safety of all our family members including you.

We would like to see you communicate with friends and family back home using the internet as much as possible and will facilitate this in any way we can! Please let us know if you are feeling homesick!!!

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EDUCATION REQUIREMENTWe know you are required to enroll in an accredited post-secondary institution for 6 units (minimum of 72 hours) of academic credit. We understand that we must contribute up to $500 towards the cost of the course and/or materials. Please inform us of the course you are interested in and the class schedule to make sure it fits with your work schedule. You will have access to the car for traveling back and forth to your courses.

Also, some local community centers offer free ESL classes, which you may access if interested.

Nearby Institutions to consider: Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte NC York Technical College, Rock Hill, SC

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Opportunities with the family: We would like you to share in our family events such as birthdays, holidays, etc….you are not obligated to be with us all weekend long or when you are off duty, but you are welcome to come along with us on family outings if you wish.

We will expose you to as much American culture as you wish. There are many local museums and places to explore. If there are any traditions you want to learn more about, please ask us! We are also interested in your traditions and culture. Feel free to cook special meals whenever you wish! We would love to hear your music, share your family photos and learn a little Russian and German.

WELCOME TO THE PAYNE FAMILY!!!!!

The most important thing to us is our children’s safety and happiness. We expect you to build a loving and caring relationship with them. Always know where the children are at all times.

Please always take the keys and your cell phone with you when you leave the house, even if just outside. Please remember to turn off all lights and appliances when you leave a room. We are charged for electricity and can become quite costly. If the air conditioning or heat is on, we ask that you keep the widows closed to save on energy.

We have a cleaning crew that comes every 2 weeks. They will also clean your room and bathroom. Please have your spaces tidy before they arrive so they can do their job. Please make sure all children’s areas are tidy as well. This might be a good time to take the girls out if the weather is nice.

As our au pair, you are a part our family and should be treated as such. We hope that you will eat with us most nights unless you have plans. We will expect you to help out before, during and after family meals. In addition, if the dishwasher needs to be emptied/loaded when you are preparing the children’s meals or snacks, we would expect you to do so.

We belong to Omni Fitness. If you wish to join, ask us for more information! The fees are reasonable.

We believe in open communication. If there is ever something you are uncertain about, please ask. We hope to resolve anything that may put our children at risk or make you unhappy.