Au Pairs: The Benefits of Live-in Child Care

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This post is part of a sponsored partnership with Au Pair in America. We are pleased to partner with them to share this unique service with our community.

As my kids grew from babies into toddlers and life just kept getting busier and more exhausting, my friends and I would discuss how wonderful it would be if we had a little daily help. Not a cleaning lady that we’d have to prepare the house for, or even Grandma coming over, just someone who could back us up, take the kids for a bit and maybe allow us to finish a thought. We marveled at what a luxury that would be! And then we laughed and assumed it was something available only to the super-rich.

But we had never heard of au pairs. They are a game-changer, and we have the very first au pair program in the United States accessible to us right here in southwest Ohio!

Au pair in America About Au Pair in America

The Au Pair in America program allows young people from abroad, aged 18 to 26, to travel to the U.S. on the Exchange Visitor Program for a unique cultural exchange experience. Since 1986 these young visitors have been coming to America to acquire a better understanding and appreciation of American life while living with an American family and caring for their young children for up to 45 hours per week. 

Tanja Manley, a former au pair herself, is the local Community Counselor for Au Pair in America. She serves as the liaison for both host families and au pairs in the area. She shares.

“There are many reasons why families in our area choose to have an au pair over other child care options. Our military and medical families especially appreciate the availability of quality and affordable child care. The on-base CDC waitlists are long, off-base providers can be costly, and often neither offers the hours needed to accommodate a busy work schedule.” 

Benefits of Hosting

When considering child care options, au pairs provide some unique benefits:

Flexibility.  The au pair’s weekly customizable schedule helps families easily deal with changing shift schedules and late evening or weekend hours. After school activities, unexpected school closings, and sick days are way less stressful this way! Between jobs, side-gigs, kids, school, sports and the many extras we try to fit into our lives, it’s tough to decide where to start. An au pair can easily adapt to your needs, providing up to 45 hours of child care per week with a customized schedule of up to 10 hours per day. One host parent said,

“Au Pair in America has given us great flexibility and peace-of-mind that we have a trusted person available to provide continuity of care as well as ’emergencies’ caused by last minute changes in schedules, school closings, etc.”

Cultural exchange. Sharing and engaging in different customs and traditions, learning a new language, or reinforcing bilingualism is a great way to broaden a child’s knowledge and to enrich their own cultural understanding. 

Upholding family values and dynamics. Au pairs engage and care for children while following and maintaining the host family’s views of discipline and guidance. It’s day-to-day support on par with a trusted member of your family. They’re there to love, to nurture, and to help host children grow and develop socially and intellectually. Au pairs with the program are energetic and hardworking, actively engaging with their host children and jumping right in to help with things like homework. (DMB note: YES! Please, help with all the homework. Common Core Math, I’m looking at you!) 

We’ve all had those days (no, weeks!) when an an extra set of hands at home would make all the difference. Combine that with the relief of knowing our children have another person they trust available to care for them. On days when kids are sick or the snow has closed school (but alas, not work), having an au pair to support the family would be a game changer. If this sounds like something that could make sense for your family, check out the details below!

Au Pair in America

Au Pair Placement

Au Pair in America is committed to helping you find the best match to meet your family’s unique preferences and child care needs. A member of the Placement Team will work with you during the matching process, get to know you personally and provide support whenever needed.  You can feel confident because their au pairs (from more than 50 qualified countries):

  • All have at least 200 hours of recent child care experience
  • Go through a rigorous screening process and background check
  • Come with medical and liability insurance, a United States Department of State sponsored visa, and a valid driver’s license
  • Attend a comprehensive orientation program that features child development training, child safety training, customized Red Cross training and an optional AAA driver safety training specifically designed for au pairs. 

Interested in learning more about hosting?

Click here to view current available au pairs at zero cost and with no obligation. 
New host families in the Dayton area receive a special discount!

Contact Tanja Manley at [email protected] or 937-554-9119.

Au Pair in America