Au Pair Support for Military Families

This Memorial Day, we pause to think about those serving in the miliary. Active-duty deployments and rotations take a toll on military spouses and children and highlight the needs for additional childcare assistance in seasons of change. The following article from Cultural Care Au Pair discusses the benefits an Au Pair can provide during these stessful events. Perhaps you know of a family who can can benefit from this type of help:

As Memorial Day approaches and National Military Appreciation Month observances are taking place throughout May, young foreign nationals are joining local citizens to pay respect to those who serve our country.

The traditions of honoring our military on patriotic holidays are great examples of American culture for au pairs who are living with American families and experiencing life in the U.S. for the first time. These young people from overseas will attend parades, wave flags, and listen to tributes and taps with their host families. However, for some au pairs, supporting our military goes far beyond the holidays.

Au pairs provide live-in childcare and an extra pair of hands for active duty parents. For military families, childcare is especially critical to their stability at home and their ability to focus and have peace of mind on the job. According to a recent study by The Pew Center titled “On the Home Front”, military families struggle with childcare due to relocation, deployment, and non-traditional work hours. They are also affected by wait lists at military Child Development Centers (CDCs) and may not live on or near official installations that provide childcare.

The au pair option is an attractive alternative for military families for practical and financial reasons.

10 Ways Au Pair Childcare Can Help Military Families

Quality childcare

All au pairs are carefully screened and trained and families receive attentive year-round support from local childcare coordinators.

Extra pair of hands

An au pair can provide extra help in the home in addition to childcare. Assistance with light household duties, homework help, and driving to children’s activities is particularly helpful following a spouse’s deployment.

Flexible scheduling

The flexibility of the au pair program allows families with unpredictable work schedules and non-traditional hours to set a schedule that works for them.

Assistance with moving

Having an extra set of hands gives parents additional time, energy and freedom for packing, organizing and all the logistics involved in getting ready for a move.

Help settling in

When everything else is changing – home, school, friends, job – having consistent childcare can make the transition to a new place smoother for everyone.

Staying connected

An au pair can help children stay connected with deployed parents through daily activities such as letter or email writing, craft projects, and video conferencing.

Peace of mind

Knowing that their children are being cared for at home by a trained, experienced au pair allows military personnel to concentrate at work and focus on the job at hand.

No waiting list

Like many day care centers, military Child Development Centers (CDCs) often have long waiting lists. Families can apply for an au pair and welcome a child care provider into their home in eight weeks and sometimes even sooner.

Network with other military families

Cultural Care Au Pair is proud to serve more military families than any other au pair program. Interested parents can be connected with other military families who have welcomed an au pair into their home.

Military discount

Cultural Care Au Pair is proud to support our military and honor their commitment by offering military families a $75 application fee waiver and a $500 program fee discount. To learn more about au pair childcare and other seasonal discounts especially for families of those serving in the military, visit www.culturalcare.com/military.

Families interested in learning more about au pair childcare can call 800-333-6056 or visit www.culturalcare.com for additional information on the Cultural Care Au Pair program.

About Cultural Care Au Pair

Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading provider of intercultural childcare in the United States. Since 1989, Cultural Care Au Pair has placed more than 85,000 au pairs in welcoming American homes. A U.S. Department of State regulated program, Cultural Care Au Pair is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with their own extensive network of recruitment, screening and orientation offices worldwide and more than 600 local coordinators across the U.S. For more information about hosting an au pair, visit www.culturalcare.com or call 800-333-6056.