On Tuesday, April 10, 2012, au pairs representing more than 10 countries came together to learn about healthy food and snack choices at their local Whole Foods store in Clarendon.

Everyone knows the importance food has on our body and for those young women who come from different parts of the world, our grocery stores can be a bit overwhelming, to say the least. So we wanted to give them an opportunity to look beyond the Mac-n-Cheese or Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich many of our kids have for lunch or snack and introduce them to new ideas.

Thanks to our two hosts at Whole Foods in Clarendon, Brenna and Jaquie, and their community outreach program, au pairs from Au Pair in America (www.aupairinamerica.com) tasted various snacks and learned some tips on how to shop smart while buying fresh and healthy products and still staying on a budget. They also left with wonderful recipes to share with their host families and the kids they are in charge of.

“WholeFoods in Arlington, Va (www.wholefoods.com) generously hosted our au pairs and made them aware of the many possibilities they have to help kids eat better food. They pointed out the danger of too much fat and sugar in some pre-made snacks and gave them some ideas on how to replace them with “made from scratch” products. We don’t know of any parent who would object to having their child eat or at least try healthier food,” said Dominique Ortiz and Kristina Jarosova, the two community counselors for Au pair in America in Arlington and Falls Church.

Au Pair in America, the nation’s first legal au pair agency, matches potential au pairs that meet the different criteria posed by host families. Regulated by the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program, the au pair program allows 18- to 26-year-old foreign women the opportunity to live in the U.S. for up to two years as live-in child care providers. Each au pair is screened thoroughly, must have at least 200 hours of recent, documented child care experience and speak proficient English.  

To learn more about the program, contact Au Pair in America at 800-928-7247 or visit them on the web at www.aupairinamerica.com.

To learn more about WholeFoods and their mission,visit your local store or  go on the web at www.wholefoods.com