Welcome to Au Pair Care!

Welcome to AuPairCare!

AuPairCare understands that each family is unique. That's why our programs are customized to fit your childcare needs, budget, lifestyle, and timing. Our carefully screened au pairs provide the highest quality of in-home care to ensure that your children will be safe, happy, and healthy. AuPairCare offers you a dependable, flexible childcare solution. You'll have childcare that fits you.

Did you know that AuPairCare has an A+ Better Business Bureau rating! If you're looking for an au pair agency, this is an important consideration. Ask other agencies their rating.

Meet Our Au Pairs

AuPairCare has hundreds of carefully screened au pairs from around the world available for placement. When you welcome an au pair to your home, you gain superior childcare at a surprisingly affordable price. Meet some of our amazing au pairs at http://www.aupaircare.com/

An Au Pair from AuPairCare Helps a New Mom Return to Work

Are Bilingual People Smarter?

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Once again, Early Exposure is Best

Find An Au Pair in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, & Williamsburg

Find An Au Pair: Affordable Childcare for Host Families

Au Pair Care understands that each family is unique. That’s why our au pair programs are customized to help you find an au pair that fits your childcare needs, lifestyle and timing. Our carefully screened au pairs provide the highest quality of in-home care to ensure that your children will be safe, happy and healthy. Au Pair Care offers you a dependable, flexible childcare solution. You’ll have affordable childcare that fits your budget.

Did you know that Au Pair Care has an A+ Better Business Bureau rating? See some of our host family testimonials to find out more about our great service!

What is an Au Pair?

Not sure of the advantages of au pairs vs nannies, or the responsibilities of an au pair? You’ll find that au pairs provide all the benefits of a nanny or daycare, while providing a great cultural experience at a better value than other child care services.

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Let's have fun inside in January with au pairs in Virginia, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, & Williamsburg!

As an area director, I often make suggestions for au pairs that are looking for ways to entertain, teach, and interact with their host children. It is one of my favorite parts of being an area director.
As January marches on, many of us are ready for the cold weather and time spent indoors. I was thinking of things to suggest for my au pairs to do with their host children and was looking into January crafts, January kids food, and January activities. As I signed into my Facebook, a cute post from one of my au pairs popped up.

I was excited to see an example of what she was doing with her host children and reminded again of the dedication many au pairs have to those in their care.
If you are an au pair or have an au pair and would like some ideas about January activities, look at the links below.

Spanish speaking au pairs in Virginia, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson & Williamsburg

So excited about about welcoming two new au pairs from Mexico this week! The host families are both facing deployments and the spouse at home is happy to have a helping hand at home. We have so many military families in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and all of Hampton Roads that benefit from an au pair during the tough time of deployment. The au pairs drive the children to activities after school, give the spouse at home a break in the evenings, and simply help whenever it is needed. Check out our military discount information from our website: aupaircare.com

Military Discount*

Many of our employees and host families have loved ones serving in the military. To honor their commitment, Au Pair Care is offering military families with a special discount on hosting an au pair. You will receive a FREE application ($350 value) plus $200 off program fees for a total savings of $550! To qualify for this discount families must be new to Au Pair Care and show proof of actively serving in the military. Please enter the promotional code when applying or call us at 1-800-428-7247 for more information.

Promo Code: MILITARY

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Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies in Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Williamsburg!

One of the most dramatic realization our au pairs in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and all of Hampton Roads have made when they come to America is that it is really big. It takes a long time to fly from New York to San Francisco or Seattle to Miami. Kansas may be centrally located, but that doesn't mean it's close to anywhere in particular. We're so used to the size of our country, we rarely think about its magnitude. Even our states have a lot of individual flexibility (although not as much as they used to!). Provinces or states in most other countries can't can make their own laws for driving, taxes, or education. For example, in most of the midwest, you can't make a U-turn unless it's posted, but you can in California. You're not allowed to pump your own gas in Oregon, but you don't have to pay any sales tax either.

Consider how much variety we have within our borders: accents, architecture, regional cuisine, music, even clothing, sport, and political conviction. We are a huge, messy behemoth of a country. When I was younger and people asked me what nationality I was, I listed off my European ancestors -- Scottish, Swedish, and English. It wasn't until I lived in the UK when my Irish friend said, "You're not bloody Scottish. You've never lived there. You're American. Own it." So... this land is your land, it's our land... to own, care for, and share.

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Ring in the new year with reliable care for less!

Did you know...?
...you can customize your childcare with AuPairCare?
At AuPairCare, we understand that your family is unique. That’s why our au pair programs are designed to help you find an au pair that fits your specific childcare needs and lifestyle:

Our Infant Specialized au pair program ensures you can find an au pair with the specific skills you need to care for your infant, like infant CPR certification and baby sign language.
Our hundreds of carefully screened au pairs include those with special needs experience.
We offer special discounts to families with multiples, repeat families and military service families.
Our program provides up to 45 hours/week of flexible childcare that works around your schedule.

See testimonials from our host families, or find out more about our childcare options.

This Winter, Turn Over a New Leaf with AuPairCare!
From sipping hot cocoa by the fire to family ski vacations to building a snowman with the kids, winter should be an enjoyable time for the whole family. Make this season even more enjoyable with reliable, worry-free childcare too?
Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to treat yourself to a loving, highly trained au pair. Apply today for just $50 and save an additional $400 on one year of affordable, flexible, culturally enriching childcare from AuPairCare – that’s $700 in total savings!
Au Pairs are the Perfect Childcare Solution for Today’s Families
Between work, household chores, meals, running errands, and keeping kids on track with homework and chores, family life can be exhausting. Au pairs offer parents another set of hands to help keep the chaos to a minimum and achieve more balance.
For about $350 per week (just $7.75 per hour!) you can have a caregiver looking after your child for up to 45 hours per week, in the safety of your own home. Imagine trading the hassle of daycare drop-offs and finding a last minute babysitter for a dependable in-home caregiver – who also helps with household tasks like your children’s laundry, meal prep and school pick-up!
Add a New Culture to Your Home in the New Year
Au pairs are a great way to expose your children to new languages and cultures. Watch as your child learns to sing a song in Portuguese or play a game in German, knowing that you’re fostering healthy brain development and laying a foundation for lifelong language learning. In fact, many experts believe that exposing a child to a second language early in life can lead to better grades and higher test scores down the road!
AuPairCare has hundreds of au pairs available from all over the world, all of whom speak English. Apply today, you’ll save $350 on our normal application fees…and provide your children with a full year of culturally enriching care.
PROMO CODE: JAN$700
*Families must apply by January 31, 2013 and welcome an au pair by April, 2013 to be eligible for this discount. This promotion is for new host families welcoming an overseas au pair and cannot be combined with other offers.

Making the Most of Where You Are for the Holidays with Your Au Pair

I find it so brave of my au pairs to have traveled across the world to live with a family and experience America. Time and again I am impressed by their attitude, as they dive in and take full advantage of what our country has to offer. Lessons, exhibits, trips - so many au pairs grab America and shake it for all they can get out of it.

Encourage your au pair to be THAT au pair. There is so much to offer, see and do. I recently had a Brazilian au pair tell me how cold it was here. Granted, we have some snow and cold in the winter. However, I thought it was sad that she did not see all the potential and opportunity to try new things. Luckily, her friend, also Brazilian, had a great attitude towards the difference in seasons. She jumped right in and suggested snowboarding lessons and meeting with their host children at the park to make a snowman when it snowed. This young lady could not get over the excitement of snow. She admitted, she was cold, but she felt the snow was calling her to come out and play.

It's natural to miss home and it's comforts. Help your au pair to see the beauty and excitement in the new and unknown. There are lots of creative ways to encourage your au pair to get out and get active - how have you been successful?

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Holiday Cards--A Snapshot of our Lives

December...ahh, the time of year to get the best photo I can of my family. I will send out cards to everyone we do not see frequently, so it is the once-a-year time people to see how my children have grown (and hopefully how I have not).

I love receiving holiday cards and catching up with everyone. Some of my friends have the same theme each year and I marvel at their ability to maintain consistency in family photos. For example, I have a friend that focuses in on her children's faces so they fill the frame. Her children have adorable, pudgy cheeks and the photos show them off to their fullest. Another friend's family is always on the beach in white shirts. The scenery is basically the same, the clothes vary little, but her children grow talker, stretch out of their baby fat, and mature each year.

In contrast, I have friends that are widely unpredictable. One of these capricious friends made a top ten list. It was titled, "The Top Ten Things People Say To Me in the Grocery store." She has 4 children, very close in age that vary widely in coloring and looks. The list began with, "Oh, my, what a nice daycare group you have." It went on with several funny quotes from strangers. Another year, she made a very sweet card signed by all her children in their adorable, scrolling handwriting surrounding an impromptu portrait. I look forward to her cards each year to see how she is inspired by her brood.

Regardless of how, what, where, or why we make our holiday cards, they are a nice chronological log of our lives. As we continue down our family path, our cards will remind us of where we have been.

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Teaching Your Children About the Election Process

I remember my first election--the excitement, the drama, the campaign slogans, and the speeches. Amber did back handsprings at the end of her speech. My slogan was, "Catch a Clue, Darcy's for You." And, David passed out cookies with his name on them.

Everyone remembers their first election, either a student council election or maybe even their first presidential election. The 2012 election process is in full swing and our children are noticing. My daughters ask if the political ads are correct and we watched some of the debates together--although their attention wandered quickly.

During this election talk to your children about the process.
Explain the role of political ads.

Teach about the difference in political parties and the purpose of parties.

Talk to them about signs and billboards you see.

Tell your children why we vote and that voting makes us equal because we all have one vote.

Take them to the polls when you vote.

One of the most important lessons elections can teach is respect. Elections are a time for parents to show their children how to have differing opinions without being disrespectful. We are fortunate to live in a country where we can voice our opinion and act upon it through voting.

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Halloween Costume Ideas for 2012

Halloween is just around the corner and many households are getting their costumes ready. It is the question my kids receive most this time of year, "What are you going to be for Halloween?" Of course, they have changed their minds many times and I am waiting until their response is a little more consistent before I act upon it.

Looking around the stores and hearing from other parents, there are a couple of themes this year. For the boys, The Avengers is popular. If your child is trick or treating with a group, this makes for a great theme. The group could consist of Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, & Hawkeye. If sisters are in the group, there is a female Avenger--Black Widow. The Avengers could also be a family theme if you have a family with more boys than girls.

Of course, many girls this year will want to be the strong Disney character, Merida from Brave. It is also a fun excuse to super curl the hair and go all out. Another female character that is popular this year is Catwomen from Dark Knight.

For both boys, girls, and parents, there are Angry Bird from Space and Angry Bird Ice Bomb costumes. I love little ones dressed as angry birds since they are often in a wagon and look like they are nesting as they sit together.

I found a lot of good ideas on Pintrest this year and some of them work for a non-sewer, stick it together with glue and staples kind of person like myself. Visit http://pinterest.com/worlds/2012-halloween-ideas/ for ideas.

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Sometimes Life Can Be Turned Around With a Little Help from an Au Pair in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and Suffolk

Now that I have had an au pair for five months, what is the first thing I think when I wake up in the morning? Laundry.

With three adults and three children ages five months to six years and an experiment in cloth diapering, my family generates mountains of laundry each week. My germ phobia does not help with Mount Laundry – when my kids come back home each day after school, I immediately remove their school outerwear and put it in the washing machine.
At bathtime, I add the kids’ and my clothes plus the baby’s cloth diapers, fill the dispenser with powdered detergent and white vinegar, and run the washing machine.

Before Jana, our au pair, arrived, I would wake up each morning to a dryer full of wrinkled clothing, a filter stuffed with lint, and a washer-load of wet clothing. I am starting to think we have a household Brownie because it’s like magic to groggily walk over to the laundry area only to find it gleamingly clean and empty. And when I turn back to the living room, I do a doubletake to see laundry baskets full of smooth, folded clothing neatly divided into groups destined for individual rooms.

Every weekend I make up the child care schedule for our au pair for the coming week. With the advent of the school year, it looks something like this:
Monday to Friday: 7am-9am, 1pm-7pm
Saturday: 10am-3pm

On weekdays our au pair helps get the kids out the door to school, a Herculean task, and then spends an hour putting the children’s laundry away and tidying up the play areas. During her break she goes to TOEFL class, walks to the grocery store, cooks for herself or takes a rest. On days when the kids have afterschool activities, our au pair takes the baby for afternoon walks while I work. And our au pair's schedule changes to accommodate my work schedule. This week I had two morning meetings – our au pair took care of the baby in the bedroom while I held meetings in the living room.

Living in an urban area means that our au pair does not have to drive everywhere. An outdoor enthusiast, she walks and bikes around the Hoboken and Weehawken waterfront and takes the kids on the Light Rail to visit old trains and nature trails at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. I keep a supply of tickets on hand – the kids prefer the train to car travel and continually beg to ride the Light Rail to afterschool activities.

Halfway through our au pair’s stay with us, my husband and I are discussing what we will do when she leaves – a lot depends on the progress of our individual careers. But even if we never have another au pair, we will be forever grateful to Jana for making life with a new baby so easy and plan to stay in touch via Skype and future visits.

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Au Pair Jackpot in Chesapeake, Virginia Beah, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and Williamsburg

I won the AuPairCare AuPair Jackpot. Really. Really. Really.

I have the most amazing woman (Ivonne, 24yrs from Bogota, Colombia) caring for my 3 young children. We decided to venture into the au pair world with AuPairCare when I was expecting a 3rd baby and my twins were both just over 1 year old! We found it difficult to wrap our heads around how we'd accomplish the following:

A) Find a willing soul to care for 3 very small kids
B) Find that aforementioned willing soul to be qualified and experienced
C) Have that amazing saint also be someone that we "clicked" with.

Our experience has been nothing short of awesome with AuPairCare! We have someone who respects our rules, encourages our children to learn and develop, is extremely tidy, is respectful of our home, is polite, is extremely smart, is funny and who genuinely loves our children as family. There are so many amazing things we love about having an au pair, but I will say that our favorite aspect so far has been the cultural experience and exposing my young children to another language.

When Ivonne arrived, my twins were 16 months old (newborn was 6 weeks) and the toddlers were just beginning to talk. Their vocabulary has been exploding over the last few months and they know almost as many words in Spanish as in English. It is incredible! I studied Spanish in college- I consider myself to be "OK" at understanding and speaking the language, so this has been great because the children hear Ivonne and I converse in Spanish. My husband however doesn't know, or understand very much Spanish. Here's where the fun has been!

Having two 2-year olds, who are non-stop talkers, is quite humorous! Then, throw in another language and it's just hilarious! The kids (who are pretty easy to understand in most cases) occasionally do tell us something that leaves us both scratching our heads. Perfect Example: The other night, kids are eating dinner and our daughter asked for "watermelon" which sounded more like "wailermelyon.” For some reason, since it came out of the blue....we could not figure out what she wanted. It was a guessing game which then turned into a game of "this or that" as we pulled items out of the refrigerator. She kept repeating the word until she thought maybe the Spanish word would make the light bulb go on and she said "No Daddy, I want Patilla." Clear as day!

Thankfully, our AuPairCare au pair, Ivonne, quickly jumped in and translated for us. It just lights up my life to hear our children speak words in another language. There are numerous studies about the advantages of introducing a child to another language at a very early age, and having an au pair has made this possible for us! Not only is AuPairCare amazing because it allows us to have an extra "family" member to take care of our children and it's affordable, but it's giving our children something we couldn't give them- the exposure to another language which is enhancing our children's intellectual development.

We could not be happier!

An Au Pair Makes it Work for One Family

Never in a million years did I think I would have an au pair. The Legos alone frequently threaten to take over the living room in my Hoboken, New Jersey apartment – where would I put an extra person? Yet here I am, with an au pair who has rescued my marriage, career and sanity. I cannot imagine life without Jana.

How did I wind up making such a drastic turnaround? I cannot pinpoint the exact moment when I changed my mind. The catalyst to my conversion? AuPairCare area director Andrea Coyle. I met Andrea three years ago at a street fair and wound up exchanging a few emails because I was curious about how urban families fit au pairs into their lives (hint: temporary walls and loft beds are your friends). Andrea has been consistently helpful, reliable and knowledgeable. She has given me peace of mind about the au pair process throughout my entire experience.

I never intended to be a work at home mom. Seven years ago, when I became pregnant with my first child, I wound up staying home due to medical complications. Parenting and physical recovery turned out to be much more difficult than my husband and I expected. With two intense, time-consuming careers, we decided the best option for our family was for me to stay home. However, in these uncertain economic times, I did not want to abandon my career. We also needed my earnings. The flexible hours provided by an au pair were the best fit with my highly unpredictable schedule. It was also the most affordable option at $8 per hour compared to the going rate of $20.

Increasing my family by 150% while growing a business has led to some rough patches. Four months after Jana’s arrival, her presence in our lives is an unmitigated success. My children have wholeheartedly accepted her as a family member – it helps that they have an uncle who is the same age. We no longer have the giant piles of unfolded laundry that were the bane of my husband’s existence, and the kids have actually been picking up the living room legos under Jana’s tutelage.

We have taken Jana to see New York City cultural sites like Coney Island and Central Park, and her adoration for the baby is obvious in the way she runs to pick her up when she cries. Best of all, my husband and I have gone out on a couple of dates for the first time in over a year. We are grateful to have found this wonderful person thanks to AuPairCare.

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Get Ready for Back-to-School, Read a Book for au pairs in Hampton Roads, Tidewater, Virginia, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, & Williamsburg

It is getting closer and closer to school starting and many of our host families have children that are gearing up for the big day. Along with clothes shopping for back to school and buying all the needed supplies comes a little bit of anxiety for children. As an adult, I still have those crazy dreams where I can't find my shoes and the school bus is honking at my door or that I have a test and I forgot to study for it.

Children and families are both excited and apprehensive about the beginning of school.
A visit to your local library can help and fortunately, our host families have a ready-to-go au pair that can take our children during the hot days of August.

I remember many afternoons as a child lounging on the bean-bags scattered in the children's section reading or being read to as a child. As the American season of back-to-school approaches, there are many books that can help prepare little ones for the big day and alleviate some of their fears. Suggest to your au pair that she look some of them up and read them with or to your children.

Pinky Dinky Doo: Back to School is Cool by Jim Jinkins A Step into Reading book for ages 6 and up
Amanda Pig, School Girl by Jean Van Leeuwen Ages 5 and up
School Days Around the World by Catherine E. Chambers for ages 7 and up
Junie B., First Grader (at Last!) by Barbara Park and Denise Brunkus ages 6 and up
Meet the Barkers: Morgan and Moffat Go to School by Tomie dePaola ages 4 and up
A Very Full Morning by Eva Montanari ages 4 and up
Butterflies in My Stomach and Other School Hazards by Serge Bloch ages 4 and up
Wayside School Boxed Set: Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, Wayside School is Falling Down, Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar ages 8 and up

These are some excellent books about back-to-school and the local librarian will be an invaluable resource for finding more. Suggest to your au pair that she get to know the librarian on her next visit.

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The Moms of the Olympics

Everyone has watched the mothers of the Olympians as they cried and cheered their children on.
I may not be the mother of an Olympian, but sometimes I feel like I am one. We all make sacrifices for our children each and every day and often it feels like our children are our full time job even if we have another one. There are many of us who juggle and shuffle and rearrange to help our children succeed. Having an au pair helps tremendously, but it doesn't lessen the sacrifices we make to help our children excel.

I also love seeing the advertising campaign by Proctor and Gamble, "Thank you, Mom". Even if it is an advertising campaign, it seems heartfelt and reminds us all that moms need to be thanked. When I watch the Olympics, their ads make it seem like Mother's Day.

Proctor and Gamble has a channel on YouTube which features many videos and stories of Olympians and their mothers. One video features Gabby Douglas. Her story caught my attention because it is amazingly similar to our host families and au pairs. Gabby Douglas lives in Des Moines, Iowa to train while her family lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In the video, Gabby's Host Mom, Missy Parton, says her goal from the beginning was to welcome Gabby into her home just like she would welcome any of her own girls. It also talks about the difference in their culture and their bond of respect which helps them every day.

I encourage you to watch the video If you are a host family, you will see how important your role is in a young girl's life. If you are a mother, you will feel appreciated for all you do.
Click Here for "Raising an Olympian-Gabby Douglas"