Can an Au Pair truly be an affordable childcare option? The answer is a resounding YES!
With 3 kids under the age of 8 and and the possibility of adding a 4th, I spend a fortune on daycare. With just 3 kids, I’m spending $270 a week – it’s actually more than I spend on rent! A daycare is great if it covers your needs but sometimes it doesn’t. What happens when your child is sick and can’t go to daycare? Or when daycare is closed and you still have to work? Those things happen. Quite frequently in my household. As a single mom, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I need to look into other options. I thought about a nanny, but nannies are expensive and usually charge more for extra kids. Then a friend of mine mentioned hiring an Au Pair. I never thought of that as an option but when I started looking into I realized that it’s a very affordable option as long as you have the room for them in your home.
Here’s a few reasons why an Au Pair is an affordable childcare option:
Flexible Hours
An Au Pair is great because they can work up to 45 hours and it doesn’t have to be the typical daycare hours. Imagine having school age children: the Au Pair can pick them up at school or at the bus stop, bring them home, give them a snack, help with homework, get dinner started and also be available to work on the weekends so that you can have some time free for yourself. This flexible schedule is great because it eliminates rushed mornings and those hectic after work evenings when all you want to do is snuggle with your kids.
Infant Care
Another great benefit is that an Au Pair is qualified and capable of caring for infants. If your town is anything like mine, infant care is incredibly difficult to find, if not impossible. Most daycare facilities have waiting lists for the infant room. So, as a single working mom, it would be virtually impossible for me to take another infant because I wouldn’t be able to find childcare. This is another reason why an Au Pair would be a terrific option.
Learn about new cultures
You can specify what nationality and languages you would prefer, but I think it’s great that your kids can learn new cultures and languages from someone that is an important part of their life.
Affordable
At an average of $8.15 an hour for 45 hours a week, you would spend around $367 a week for an Au Pair. As mentioned earlier, I’m spending $270 a week but have to find alternative options for sick care, date nights, etc.
Go Au Pair has been providing quality child care for over 30 years. They have representatives in over 50 countries on 6 different continents and in over 65 American cities with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. Go Au Pair provides families affordable child care solutions through various Au Pair programs. Au Pair child care is a cultural exchange program with a child care component. Parents can give their children the opportunity to learn from another culture and language, while receiving personalized care.
