Being a working parent often means struggling to meet the demands of both career and family – but an au pair can help! In a Cultural Care Au Pair study of 2500 working parents, more than two thirds agreed that having live-in childcare allowed for more quality time with the family.
“[Our au pair] came in and instantly the balance in our daily life improved,” says the Sande family from Minnesota, who hosts Hungarian au pair Debi. “Debi entered our home life seamlessly. She really is a member of the family.”
Au pairs also afford parents flexibility in their routine, which comes in handy during sick days or school cancellations. Seventy-eight percent of surveyed parents who had previously had their children in daycare centers stated that live-in childcare like the au pair program allows them to be more flexible with their work hours.
Take it from the Stires family from Florida – their Brazilian au pair gives them the schedule flexibility that promotes productivity at the office: “My husband has a full time job and also is launching his own business. Meanwhile, I work remotely from my home office traveling at least once a month to Washington DC. Our au pair is a constant in [our daughter] Ella’s life. We could not balance our hectic work schedules without her.
That higher productivity is important to working parents, with more than two thirds of survey respondents indicating that their childcare choice allowed them to be more focused at work – with an incredible seventy-seven percent saying they were less stressed about their career in general, as a result of switching to live-in childcare.
Overall, ninety percent of those surveyed felt that they have better work life balance because they have an au pair – indicating that choosing a flexible, live-in childcare option – may be a factor predictive of work life balance.
“We looked to Cultural Care and an au pair to help provide balance and stability for our hectic life and we could not have found a better person than our au pair,” says the Lewis family from Minnesota, whose Colombian au pair takes care of their two young boys. “She’s integrated deeply into our life and routine, providing much-needed consistency for everyone.”
