Hosting an Au Pair: Childcare You Can (Seriously) Trust Like Family

We all know that choosing childcare is no easy decision. As parents, we want a high-quality solution we can trust that provides flexibility and enrichment. This month, we decided to take a look into a little-known childcare option that hundreds of thousands of American families have been turning to for the past 30 years: hosting an au pair!

We say “little-known” because many people aren’t exactly sure what an au pair is or does, much less how to find one. An au pair is a young adult between the ages of 18-26 from another country who comes to the U.S on a J-1 cultural exchange visa and lives with an American family for up to two years. The au pair can provide up to 45 hours per week of childcare while experiencing life as part of an American family.

We recently caught up with Marcie Wolbeck, a mother of four whose family has hosted seven au pairs (wow!) to get an inside look at what it’s like to host an pair in Chicago, and why her family chooses the Cultural Care Au Pair program year after year as their childcare option.  

Macaroni Kid: Hey, Marcie! Tell us a bit about your family.

Marcie Wolbeck: My husband Matthew and I live in Elmhurst with our four children, Liam (7), Ryan (5), Shane (3) and Kellen Mary (1). We’re currently hosting an au pair from Austria (our seventh!) and she’s a great addition to our family.

MK: That’s great. So why did you initially decide to host an au pair, as opposed to other childcare options?

MW: Our family chose to host an au pair because of the flexibility the program offered with our varying schedules. It’s also so important to us that our children’s lives are enriched by meeting people from all over the world and learning about the wonderful diversity that exists among cultures. We also loved the fact that since the person was living in our home with us, we would get to know them better than we could any other care provider for our children.  

MK: Can you share how Cultural Care Au Pair has supported you throughout the process of finding and hosting an au pair?

MW: Yes, they’ve been very supportive every step of the way. There are many people who have helped our family throughout the process of finding and hosting an au pair. All of our Matching Specialists have been very responsive and available to help with the process of interviewing and finding an au pair. Our local childcare consultant (LCC) is always checking in with us to make sure things are going well and has planned some wonderful monthly meetings for the au pairs to not only get to know one another, but also experience many fantastic American experiences like a minor league hockey game, boat cruise, volunteering at a non-profit, laser tag and many more. As always, the staff at the corporate offices, combined with our LCC are extremely helpful and knowledgeable with answering my questions.

MK: We’d love to hear some of your favorite memories about hosting your au pairs...can you share some with us?

MW: One of my all-time favorite memories was on Christmas Eve. Our family was staying with my husband’s parents in Florida as well as much of our extended family. Our au pair at the time, Lourdes from Mexico always made the best guacamole and carne asada tacos, so she offered to do that for our group of 40+ people. We all pitched in and learned to make her famous guacamole and tacos and afterwards we all went together to see the “Night of Lights”, a magnificent light display in St. Augustine.  

Another favorite memory was when we took our third au pair, Carolina from Colombia to Florida for the first time. She had never see the ocean before. Even though the weather wasn’t too warm (in the 60’s) and the water was cold, she ran right into the ocean all the way up to her neck!  She was so happy and excited for the opportunity to enjoy the beach and ocean. It was truly a gift to see her joy in experiencing something so beautiful for the first time.
 

MK: Do you have any words of wisdom for families who might be thinking about hosting an au pair?

MW: I’d highly encourage anyone thinking of hosting an au pair to consider it. The process and program can seem intimidating but the agency is there to support you every step of the way. We’ve found lifelong friends in our au pairs and their families. Our children have a deeper understanding of other cultures and the scope of the world we live in. We’ve always tried to portray our family in a very realistic light with our au pairs and always try to think of how we would want our children to be treated if they were au pairs in another country. This has helped guide us whenever we had a question about something. Communication is key to a successful relationship and being open and transparent with your au pair as well as asking that of them certainly helps you develop the close bond only an au pair and host family can have!

Learn more about hosting an au pair.