For most families living in California, child care is a necessity. In Ventura County, it can be expensive and difficult to find – not to mention all the time and energy it takes to search, vet, and plan! To ease the stress of child care, let us introduce you to Au Pair in America.
What is an Au Pair?
An au pair is a child care provider who lives with a host family as part of an international cultural exchange program. They provide child care from newborns to teens. Au Pair in America was the nation’s first au pair program and has been a leader in the industry for over 35 years.
Finding an au pair that fits with your family’s needs is easy. You can use their online search tool or work with their placement team to find the perfect match specific to your family’s needs. You can search applicants from nearly 60 different countries. All Au Pair in America applicants will have successfully passed a background investigation, which includes verification of schooling, references, psychometric test and a criminal record check.
Benefits of an Au Pair
Save Time
Since the au pair lives with your family, you get to skip the hassle of dressing the kids, searching for lost shoes, and begging for them to just get in the car to drop them off at child care. Since you can create your schedule weekly, your au pair is ready when you need them and you save time.
Dependable Care
We are busy! We have to factor in traffic (it’s the worst!), work schedule and our family life. Having flexible child care means dependable care and one less stress. No more scrambling for back up child care when your child is sick. With an au pair, you will be able to create your own schedule of up to 10 hours per day and up to 45 hours per week. So when your little one has a tummy ache or life throws you a surprise, finding child care no longer becomes something you need to worry about.
A Consistent Familiar Face
As moms, we know how important it is that our child has a consistent caretaker. It does not take long for your au pair to become part of your family. Your au pair becomes that consistent, familiar face since she/he lives in your home.
No More Mom Guilt
I just recently went back to work after being a SAHM for 7 years. And let me tell you the biggest surprise going back to work; the mom guilt! I no longer had the time to take my kids to the park or play dates and it really made me feel bad. An au pair can take the kids to the beach, Disneyland, local activities and explore the beautiful area of Ventura County and beyond! No more mom guilt that your kids are missing out! They will still get to enjoy fun activities and outings with a safe, reliable and familiar person.
Cultural exchange
The beating heart of the au pair program is cultural exchange. Au pairs love sharing food, holidays, and other traditions from their home countries. Many au pairs share their traditions and cultures from their country, which is a wonderful bonus for you children. Your child may also be exposed to another language, picking up new vocabulary and speaking skills quickly in their daily interactions with their au pair. Hosting is a great way to share your American culture with someone new, too.
Help Carry the Daily Load
An au pair is so much more than just someone watching your children. An au pair’s responsibilities will vary depending on your family’s needs but they can include getting the children ready in the morning, making meals, bath time, helping with homework, driving children to appointments and much more. Basically, providing that helping hand moms need during the busy season of motherhood.
You can also schedule weekend or evening care. That means date nights can go back on the calendar!
Save on Child Care Cost
Here at VCMC, we often share funny memes around the cost of child care. We have a good laugh but in real life it can be painful paying the bill of child care each month. And on top of that, think about what you have paid for weekend/date-night babysitters, last minute child care or missing work.
The cost of hosting an au pair is per family, not per child. Right now you can save even more! If you match with an au pair by December 31, 2023 you can receive $850 off the program fee!
Find Your Au Pair Today
Say goodbye to stress, mommy guilt, high child care costs and say hello to dependable, excellent child care with Au Pair in America. Interested in learning more about hosting an au pair here in California? Head over to the Au Pair in America website or email [email protected]. They are ready to answer questions and help you find an au pair to make part of your family today.
