What’s a family to do when their schedules are a little wacky and unpredictable? My friend, Autumn has found herself asking this question since her first son was born in 2011. A working actress, her schedule is at the whim of directors and production companies, and often her work takes her out of town, like when she found herself living in Hawaii for over six months while filming the series, Last Resort. During her second pregnancy, she was determined to find a better strategy for her existing childcare routine, which was cobbled together with overnight stays by her mother, one part-time nanny, and a handful of babysitters. Autumn emerged from her research with a great solution: a live-in au pair.
After finding Cultural Care Au Pair, Autumn engaged an in-depth screening process, of both her family and of potential caregivers. She found Delphine, a cheerful, warm and jovial young woman from the suburbs outside of Paris. Delphine joined her family this past October, six weeks prior to her second son’s birth. Autumn and I spend quite a lot of time together working on our site, Move LifeStyle, while our sons play together under the careful eye of the Delphine as we work. The boys love to play with Delphine. Upon our departure, my son musters up his best, “Merci, Delphine,” and smacks a big bisou on her cheek. Our experiences with her have been nothing but delightful.
“Delphine is the magician who makes it possible for me to be a working mom with two kids under two. She’s been a wonderful, positive addition to our household, coming up with new ideas to entertain my toddler and keep his creativity growing. One of my favorite moments now is when I hear him singing a new song to himself — in French! Working with Delphine and Cultural Care au Pair has been a fantastic decision for my kids and our whole family.” –Autumn Reeser
Why host an au pair?
- Families get up to 45 hours/week and 10 hours/day of childcare coverage for up to 2 years
- Flexibility to customize your childcare hours to a schedule you decide
- An average weekly cost of just $355 (per family, not per child)
- Help with household duties related to your children (including laundry, room cleaning and meal preparation)
- An opportunity to learn a second language and exposure to another country’s games, songs and cuisine
Why host via Cultural Care Au Pair?
- The largest selection of au pair candidates for families to choose from
- Screening of au pairs without outsourcing to third-party agents
- Comprehensive training including CPR and First Aid certification for all au pairs
- Year-round local support through the largest network of Local Childcare Consultants in the industry
- Repeat Family Rewards customer loyalty program
Have you hosted an au pair? How did you find the experience? Share your comments below!