How to Find Affordable Child Care Without Sacrificing Quality

Most parents aren’t professional economists, but you don’t have to be one to know that the cost of living in the U.S. has been increasing dramatically over the last few years. A 2011 survey from Kelton Research indicated that Americans have noticed significant increases in their expenditures on even the most basic items – from groceries and gasoline, to utilities and health insurance. Many families are being forced to cut back on all expenses and some are sacrificing quality for affordability.

Managing the high cost of child care is a particularly challenging situation, since it has become a basic necessity for households where both parents work outside of the home. And, while parents might be willing to move from name brands to store brands, one area where they are not willing to sacrifice quality for affordability is care for their children. 

"Our children mean the world to us, and we want to make sure they are experiencing life, while safe and accounted for when my wife and I are both at work all day," said AuPairCare host father Jack Stiefel, who lives in Northern California. "With AuPairCare, our children get to experience a new culture and they receive undivided attention all at an affordable price. Our experiences have been wonderful. I’ve never thought twice about our decision to use AuPairCare, and I would recommend their services to any parents."

An au pair is an international young person who provides up to 45 hours of child care per week for American families. The hourly cost of an au pair from AuPairCare is approximately $7.75 per hour, considerably lower than the cost of baby sitters, nannies, day-care centers, and camps.

Au pairs provide high quality childcare in the safety of a host family’s home, giving the family’s children undivided attention. The cost of AuPairCare’s au pairs remains the same regardless of how many children a family has making it a great child care option for families with multiple children.  

A number of families in East Lyme and Old Lyme use AuPairCare's services. Not only is AuPairCare an affordable child care option, it is an educational one, too. Au pairs from AuPairCare come from more than 40 different countries around the world. 

In addition to providing loving care to their host family’s children, they also teach them games, words, and traditional songs from their home countries.  Educating children about different cultures and languages from a young age is important in our increasing global society, and an au pair is a unique way to provide your children with a world perspective. AuPairCare offers a unique online matching system that makes it easy for parents to learn about each available au pair’s hobbies, interests, and childcare background plus view photos and videos before making a decision. 

AuPairCare is a leading au pair agency providing affordable live-in childcare services to American families since 1989. Designated by the U.S. Department of State, AuPairCare has matched more than 40,000 au pairs with American families across the U.S. AuPairCare is a division of Intrax, a family of organizations that provide a lifetime of high quality educational, work and volunteer programs that connect people and cultures. Intrax is headquartered in San Francisco with offices on four continents.

For more information please contact your local Area Director, Laura Work, at (860) 391-8073 or Lwork@aupaircare.com  or visit www.aupaircare.com.