Interested in learning about what it means to host an au pair? We recently spoke with Au Pair in America host mom, Sarah from New England — who’s hosted over five au pairs — about childcare costs and accessibility in New England! In this interview, she described the positive impact au pairs have had on her family and how she continues to return to our au pair program because she can’t rely on or afford traditional childcare services like daycare.
Read on to discover how hosting au pairs has consistently been a more affordable option and provided excellent, reliable childcare for her New England family.
Robin: Hi everyone, I’m Robin Leon with the Au Pair in America team and I’m here with one of our amazing host moms. Sarah, would you mind introducing yourself?
Sarah: My name is Sarah; I am a five-time, soon to be six-time, host mom. I’m based in the New England area and I’m super passionate about cultural exchange. This program has changed my life and my kids’ lives.
Robin: We love hearing these stories of cultural exchange and families who really understand the spirit of the program and continue to welcome au pairs year after year. We appreciate you being in the program and joining us today.
Our focus today is on the rising cost of childcare, specifically in your area, so can you talk about the cost of childcare in the New England area currently?
Sarah: The cost of childcare in New England is an absolute stressor. And I have to say, every time we go through the school year and see where the kids need to be and what we have to do for childcare, I always come back to this program. It’s not just about what childcare costs, but it’s about the stress and the reliability. This program really gives peace of mind because you always know you’ve got reliable, wonderful, loving childcare in your home.
Cost-wise it just makes so much more sense. You get this stability with your changing needs as a family week to week. And you also get this amazing big sister/daughter/roommate living in your house, making you laugh, cooking dinner together with you.
Robin: I love the big sister/role model component of the program. And you touched on so many other important pieces—the flexibility, the accessibility. I wanted to ask you about availability—how available is childcare in your area?
Sarah: I think just as a mom who needs childcare, you know I work professionally —as does the kids’ dad — and it’s really been a challenge. It’s been ongoing, it started when my kids were babies in daycare—I had to be on five or six wait lists at a time. When there was an opening, it wouldn’t be for five days, so I would have to figure out how I would slot the baby here, the toddler here, and then come up with additional childcare for two or three or four days when daycare wasn’t available.
So that was tough. And we live in a great neighborhood where I’ve got some awesome high schoolers who live near me, but the challenge I found with that is they have their own lives—they’re in National Honor Society, they’re rowing, doing cheerleading, and track. Every time we’d need a babysitter or to pick someone up from the bus, we’d have to make five or six calls because everyone was busy with their own lives. I think those have been some of the major stressors in terms of who we’re going to find and who is consistent and reliable. Daycare obviously is the issue and just the cost of what professional nannies want…
Robin: I keep on hearing about logistical challenges from you and other families we’ve talked to. Who has the time to make those six or eight phone calls to the babysitter? You have to be on multiple wait lists to maybe get two days a week for a daycare… It sounds like childcare is hard to find and you touched on the affordability aspect of it all.
For folks who aren’t aware, the cost of hosting an au pair is per family, not per child. How did that impact your decision-making?
Sarah: The cost of childcare per child vs per family is super relevant. I’ve always really wanted to do this program. When I had my first child, I told my husband at the time and he told me it doesn’t make sense until we’ve got two, so the minute I was pregnant with my second I [said], “I’m holding you to your promise, we’re doing this program!” And it did save a significant amount of money with just two in daycare. I want to say it was something like $15,000 — $20,000 in [savings] at the time.
You think that maybe when they get to school you can let go of the program, but the reality is, it’s not true, Robin. I just looked for the kids starting this year and it was $185 per kid, just for after school. So, it was $370 a week, and that would mean I would still have to drive an hour round-trip to my kids’ school and they wouldn’t be able to be involved in any of their afternoon activities. $370/week doesn’t cover me on summers, doesn’t cover me on days school is out, and an au pair stipend is significantly less than that. And [after school care] doesn’t give you all the flexibility or the reliability, so it’s really a no brainer.
I go back every year to reevaluate. Truly this program is the one that gives you peace of mind, it’s so much more affordable than what’s out there in New England. Plus, it’s an amazing experience to have this awesome, loving, fun human in your house, loving your family… you’re learning about their culture, they’re learning about you. Fun fact: my family just learned how to make sushi for the first time. My Polish au pair learned how to use chopsticks and ate sushi for the first time—it was amazing!
Robin: Moments of cultural exchange… we love it. I also love hearing that you do the research year after year, and you return to the au pair program year after year. That’s great to hear.
Sarah: I have a couple of girl friends who have an au pair, but the ones that don’t [have problems with nannies]… My girl friend said that she let her nanny know when she was supposed to arrive for her shift and that [the nanny told her] she was on vacation that week and couldn’t do her shift, and didn’t give her a heads up… so [because my girl friend and her husband both work] they just didn’t have childcare for the week. It’s those types of things as a working mom that I just can’t deal with.
Robin: We’re so happy you’ve found the au pair program to be dependable, flexible, affordable, and above all, an amazing cultural exchange experience. Thanks so much, Sarah.
Sarah: Thanks Robin, love chatting with you.
Are you a parent who needs dependable and affordable childcare? Au Pair in America can help you select an au pair who is perfect for you and your family!
At Au Pair in America, we know how important consistent, quality childcare is. Our team is dedicated to helping families like yours find an au pair who’s suited to the specific needs of your family. Beyond matching you with the right au pair, Au Pair in America provides comprehensive program support, including coordinating logistics, offering orientation for your family and au pair, year-round local support, medical insurance, and 24/7 emergency assistance. As an Au Pair in America host family, you’ll take comfort in knowing you’ll receive the services of a personalized support team. Read more about au pair program fees here, or see if you’re eligible for a discount.
