The au pair will learn how to prevent disease and keep their host family and home safe and healthy. Teachers discuss and demonstrate universal health precautions such as hand washing and disinfecting. These are both important techniques to utilize in order to keep germs and bacteria from spreading. They should be practiced regularly and when working with children should be especially careful while diapering and disposing of diapers as well as when feeding infants. This careful attention to eliminating germs and bacteria coupled with an emphasis on exercise, fresh air and rest will maintain a healthy safe home. 

Au pairs will learn that a child needs nutritious meals and snacks in order to grow and develop. While living with their host family and taking care of children they will be actively participating in the provision of good nutrition each and every day. As a class they will cover various scenarios and situations that they may encounter during their year as an au pair. Starting solid food will certainly be an important topic for those au pairs who will be caring for infants. They will learn about developmental feeding milestones so that they know what children of all ages should be consuming. A close study of the food pyramid will supplement this knowledge as the au pairs learn about food groups, serving sizes and fun food activities to help their children eat healthy food. Also, an important subject when discussing food and nutrition is eating disorders. This is a topic that the au pairs will become familiar with in order to keep themselves and their friends healthy as well as their host families.

As the Au Pairs experience a full year with their host family they will encounter many days when they need to identify symptoms of an illness. Teachers will discuss general warning signs of common illnesses followed by tips and helpful hints for taking care of sick children. They will also cover common childhood health problems such as allergies, asthma, chicken pox, diaper rash, and the common cold which many au pairs will encounter with their host children. They will learn about a wide variety of health problems in order to be better prepared for a year of childcare in the US. In addition they will learn about immunizations that can help prevent many childhood diseases. As vaccinations vary from country to country it is important that Au Pairs know what their children are immunized against.

Teachers give au pairs and overview of basic first aid and what to do in case of an emergency. There is a strong emphasis on the fact that this is not a first aid course and the au pairs are encouraged to take a first aid course within the first 3 months of their stay in the United States. The key points of this segment of the training are being prepared; having first aid kits stocked and accessible and to always check with parents before administering medicine to a child. Au pairs are taught how to make a home safety checklist and to childproof the various rooms in the home. While discussing safety at home, teachers touch upon gun safety and the risks around home exercise equipment as well. Risks outside of the home are covered as well. Vehicle safety, school bus safety, bicycle safety and other topics that pertain to daily life with a child are covered. 

Tips for good communication with host children and host parents are given an practiced in order to be prepared to begin the year as an au pair. Effective communication is broken down into categories that are easy to understand and put into practice: never assume, be pleasant, think, listen and understand, respect and facial expressions and body language. Each of these subcategories is practiced during class and in the communication workshop. Other techniques such as frequent sharing and a daily communication log are suggested. The importance of verbal and non-verbal as well as written communication is stressed as English levels vary and not everything will be interpreted the way it was intended by the host family and/or the au pair.

As a day to day influence in their host families’ life each au pair is a role model in their home. The au pairs learn that host children will look up to them and imitate their attitudes and behaviors.  It is important for au pairs to work closely with the host parents and to look at them as partners. From the first time they meet an au pair should get to know each family member and learn about their interests and values so that the au pair can incorporate them into the daily activities so that she can reciprocate by sharing her culture with them in a fun way. An au pair must be very aware of her habits and appearance. Smoking can be a sensitive issue with a host family especially concerning host children and exposure to second hand smoke. Not only can this affect the children's health but having a smoker in the house can influence their attitude towards smoking, making it an attractive option. Au pairs must also be sure to present themselves appropriately being careful to dress reasonably and to consult host parents about any piercings or tattoos that the children may see. Another concern is computer safety. An au pair can help to monitor her host children's computer use but she should also be careful when she is using the computer so as to not put herself or her host children in danger.  Being an au pair can be stressful. There is a lot of responsibility and the au pair has to think about how she is influencing her host children at all times. It is important to be able to identify and manage stress so that it will not affect her health, behavior or quality of care.

The au pairs learn that children continue to develop from birth through their teenage years. The teachers emphasize that each child develops at his or her own pace. Development is broken down into different categories that can be followed during each year of a child's life.  These categories are: physical development, language development, cognitive development, social-emotional development. Within each of these categories au pairs learn about important development landmarks to watch for. Each age group is discussed in terms of these four categories. Au pairs split up to do extensive research on the ages groups that they will be caring for so that they have a better idea of what to expect during their year as an au pair. 

Au pairs learn about toys, learning materials, and activities that are age appropriate in order to help their host children learn, have fun and stay safe throughout their year together. General interests of children in each age group are discussed, with the understanding that children's interest vary and may not fit neatly into these categories.  Next, the teachers discuss how to select safe toys for their host children. They go over resources for creative development that may prove as an alternative for TV or video games and will help them to get involved in their local community. Finally, they are presented with a reading list for children which provides titles and authors of books for a wide range of ages.

Au pairs learn to emphasize the importance of beginning at the earliest age to develop a child's positive self-concept and to explore ways to do this. An au pair, a major influence in the life of a host child, has the task of supporting development by modeling skills of compassion, tolerance and love. These actions help to build a positive self-concept in children which will help determine the child's success in both school and later in life. The au pairs are taught how to respect children's identities and help to support children when they are hurt and to make it clear when behavior is unacceptable leading toward conflict resolution. They learn to teach fairness and to answer questions directly, encourage pride and finally to help children help themselves. It is important to be aware of the other influences in the host children's lives including friends, books and toys to help evaluate them for bias and stereotyping.

Au pairs learn to emphasize the importance of beginning at the earliest age to develop a child's positive self-concept and ways to do this. Teachers provide hints for positive behavior management. They learn how to structure a child's environment in order to make it safe and child friendly. Au pairs learn to use natural or logical consequences, a system of punishments and rewards that are appropriate for the situation. Next, they learn to offer the children choices whenever possible and, when a child's behavior is inappropriate, to talk about the behavior and not the child. Au pairs are reminded to use positive statements, to expect cooperation and to be consistent in enforcing rules. Au pairs can also help their host children to use their words instead of force and to solve problems democratically. A variety of common behavioral issues and disciplinary approaches are discussed in order to give an overview of what the au pairs may encounter throughout their year.