Bringing the Balance Back into Your Family's Life
As a mother of 4 children between the ages of 16 and 6 (who are twins!), I know how difficult it is to balance life, family and work. I need an extra set of hands to help give my children the care and attention they need—especially since I work outside the home too. Finding the right childcare, however, is one of the most challenging decisions my husband and I face. We need a trustworthy caregiver that can offer the flexibility and affordability a busy family, such as mine, requires.
One flexible and affordable option available to busy parents like us is hosting a live-in au pair. Au pairs are adventurous, educated, young people from abroad who choose to leave their life at home for one year to share their love for children with an American host family. Au pairs are excited to become part of an American family and experience American culture by living in our communities, volunteering and taking classes at local colleges. We welcome the enthusiasm an au pair brings into our home.
An au pair is the perfect childcare solution for my family, since we love to travel and learn about other cultures. Like most families, we want to educate our children as early as possible about the world beyond their small grasp through travel and cultural exchange. We welcomed an au pair from Russia this year—Anna Golubina. We are looking forward to learning about her Russia culture and traditions and I can't wait for her to introduce my children to a new language, new foods and music!
With an au pair, my family is more easily able to balance our busy lifestyle. All of my children are involved in different activities and having an au pair means that someone is always able to accompany them to a soccer game or ballet lessons. My husband, Brian and I try to make sure to schedule our pair one time per month on a Saturday night so we can go out to dinner together.
The U.S. Department of State regulates all au pair programs in the United States, offering my husband and me the peace of mind that our children are in trusted, qualified care. Au pairs live and study in the United States for one year on a J-1 cultural exchange visa, in exchange for providing 45 hours of childcare per week. The U.S. Department of State requires that au pairs are between the ages of 18 and 26 years old and speak proficient English. Each au pair completes a comprehensive application, including childcare references, non-family personal references, an essay about why they want to join the program, a medical examination, a background and criminal check and an oral examination.
For a family with four children, hosting an international au pair at the cost of less than $285 a week is the most affordable childcare option available to us. And yet, hosting an au pair is the most rewarding childcare option for our family—Anna has created a very caring environment for our children and is enriching their playtime with Russian games, stories and activities, while also helping my family better balance our daily lives and schedules. Anna not only provides the flexible and affordable childcare we need, but she also teaches my children that there is a larger world out there.
About the Author
Lorrie Ferraro is a local childcare coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair in North Billerica, MA. She loves connecting host families with au pairs from around the world, helping families find flexible and affordable childcare. Lorrie welcomes your questions about the au pair program and can be reached at (978) 667-3535 or . For more information, please visit www.culturalcare.com.