728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Child Care › On Par with Au Pairs

On Par with Au Pairs

Is This Childcare Option for You?

By Hilory Wagner

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

These regulations were set in place by the United States Information Agency (USIA), the government body that established guidelines in 1986 for this educational and cultural exchange program with a strong child care component. In October 1999, the USIA was abolished and administration of the au pair programs was taken over by the U.S. State Department, Educational and Cultural Services. Currently, this department lists six approved au pair programs with roughly 12,000 participants yearly.

All au pair programs must adhere to government regulations, which -- among other things -- state that au pairs:

  • cannot work more than 10 hours per day and not more than 45 hours in a week;
  • must be given private bedrooms;
  • are given meals;
  • receive remuneration tied to the minimum wage;
  • have a full weekend off each month;
  • get two weeks paid vacation; and
  • receive up to $500 in education allowance from the host family.

baby In 1995, the guidelines became regulations, and now there are mandated training requirements. According to the U.S. State Department, au pairs must receive at least eight hours of child safety and 24 hours of child development instruction. Moreover, at least four hours of the child safety training will be infant-related and another four hours of the child development instruction will be devoted to the care of children younger than age 2. The child-safety training, provided by qualified organizations, includes topics such as stress management, shaken baby syndrome and CPR. Additionally, au pairs responsible for children younger than 2 must have at least 200 hours of documented infant child care experience.


Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Want to see more?

Comments

Found 3 comments
Displaying all 3 comments below

Re: On Par with Au Pairs by mv on 09/24/2009 12:50AM

Au pairs certainly are a great in-home childcare solution. One-on-one childcare by an au pair from overseas offers a culturally enriching experience for your children. It is also important to prepare yourself for an au pair. To do you 'homework'. Knowing how to interview an au pair, how to set expectations during the interview process already, how to prepare an "au pair handbook/manual", and how to do effective communication are all important components for a successful au pair match. For advice from a lead community counselor with over 14 years of experience, please visit www.aupairselectionadvice.net. A website dedicated to providing advice and support to host parents, and to a smaller degree to au pairs as well. One happy match at a time. MV Lead Community Counselor Au Pair Selection Advice www.aupairselectionadvice.net

Re: On Par with Au Pairs by kj247@comcast.net on 07/09/2009 11:04PM

I have tried both home daycare and the au pair program and I would definitely say that the au pair is the way to go! We are a host family with Cultural Care Au Pair. We started with Cultural Care when my youngest was 3 months old and we have hosted 5 au pairs from Germany, Russia and Columbia and there is no childcare like it! As full time working parents, not only is it affordable for us (we pay an average of $320 a week for 2 children), we truly enjoy live-in childcare and the flexibility of the au pair hours, as we set our own hours which include weekend nights and several date nights a month. Also the cultural experience that my children receive is wonderful…..my children get a “new big sister” to play with, they are learning new languages and we get to try foods from 3 different countries! For our family – having an au pair has been the best and rewarding option. Kj247@comcast.net

Re: On Par with Au Pairs by anonymous on 07/09/2009 02:30PM

I hosted 2 au pairs from Germany and had a great experience. I used Cultural Care Au Pair and would highly recommend them. The staff at Cultural Care are very informed and patient.

add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.