Iowa Au Pair Source: Kathy Weiss

While au pairs are a common childcare option on the East and West Coast, families in the Midwest are often surprised and curious about this flexible and affordable solution.

Parents of young children in particular are happy to learn that having a live-in childcare provider is actually within their family budget. At a cost of about $7.55 an hour per family (not per child), having an au pair care for your children can save you hundreds of dollars every month.

And families everywhere appreciate the cultural exchange aspect of hosting an au pair. It’s a learning experience for the entire family that often leads to a lifelong friendship.

For more information about hosting an au pair, visit www.culturalcare.com or call Kathy at 319-621-4668. I welcome the opportunity to assist you family in choosing the best childcare option, and often that choice will lead you to the rewarding experience of being a host family to a young adult from a different land.

My role as local childcare coordinator has enabled me to serve families of all sizes and types throughout eastern Iowa, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to provide a childcare solution that is flexible and affordable, averaging just over $7.55 an hour.

If your family struggles with fluctuating work schedules that involve nights and weekends, or frequent child illnesses stemming from a traditional daycare, or if you’d like to experience the convenience of in-home childcare provided by an experienced caregiver you can trust, please contact me for more information.

Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading au pair agency in the U.S., offering affordable, dependable service in eastern Iowa and throughout the U.S.

Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to answering your questions. Raising kids isn’t easy, yet having a live-in au pair certainly makes it easier. Along with extra hands to help you when you need it, your family will benefit from a more flexible, secure, culturally-enriching experience. Please contact me at 319-621-4668 for more information.

Another new au pair has arrived in eastern Iowa. Agnieszka Sawko from Poland will take up residence with the Jill Endres family of Iowa City, making a first for our au pair community with two au pairs living in the same neighborhood…and on the same street!

Agnieszka will be an au pair to Jill’s four children: Sam, Elliot, Vivian and Fern, who live down the street from the Longmuir family, where Aileen Pappler from Austria is caring for two children, Charlotte and Thomas. Hopefully they will soon meet and friendships from around the globe will blossom here in Iowa once again.

Au pairs added a touch of authenticity to the Oktoberfest celebration in the Amana Colonies Sunday, especially Nicole Stirm and Aileen Pappler from Austria, who wore traditional Bavarian dresses. The crowd loved it–and them! It was a beautiful day complete with authentic food–bratwurst and sauerkraut!

This Sunday, October 2nd, au pairs from throughout eastern Iowa will converge on the Amana Colonies to savor the tastes and sounds of Oktoberfest 2011.

Live German music, authentic Bavarian food and horse and carriage rides through the historic streets of Amana, along with pottery demonstrations and arts and crafts, await these young women from diverse parts of the world–Sweden, Panama, Chile, as well as Germany and Austria–and hopefully a few will be able to tell us whether an Iowa Oktoberfest is truly “authentic.”

Host families are welcome to join the fun. We will meet at City Park in Iowa City at noon Sunday and carpool from there 30 miles west to the colonies. Wirst du da sein?

At $345 per week, the cost of an au pair for your childcare needs is considerably less than hiring a private nanny or taking your child to day care, especially when you consider that the cost is calculated per family; not per child. That works out to about $7.50 per hour, which is less than most pay for babysitters in the Midwest.

Here’s a closer look at the costs and when they are paid: $75 application fee paid at the time you submit your online application, which allows you to begin personalized matching and view au pair candidates; $275 selection fee paid when you finalize your au pair candidate; $7,295 program fee paid before your au pair arrives; $195.76 is the stipend you pay directly to your au pair each week (for 51 weeks).

Additional expenses include domestic airfare from the au pair school in New York to the Cedar Rapids airport ($425) and costs relating to classes your au pair must take (maximum $500) as part of the program (au pairs must earn the equivalent of 6 credits during their year).

Throughout the year, Cultural Care offers families sizable discounts on program fees, often with waived application fees, which makes hosting an au pair even more affordable. To find out about current discounts, contact Kathy at (319) 621-4668.

Marina, 19, of Austria is an experienced driver and an expert swimmer with first aid training. “I’m a very patient and responsible person,” she says, “and I love to play with children. I like to draw and sing with children and I can do a lot of sport activities with them. I enjoy to look after children and it makes me happy to see how they learn and how they grow.”

Janet, 18, from Germany is also a good swimmer and diver. She also likes to camp and go rafting. She has studied piano since she was 6. “I like musicals like Tarzan, The lion king, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Saturday Night Fever, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mamma Mia, Hairspray and Dance with a Vampire. I also really like the songs in Disney Movies,” she says.

Both Janet and Marina are hoping to be matched soon with a family in the U.S. so they can realize their dream of being an au pair. They are both available as early as August. If your family is seeking convenient, flexible childcare, please contact me, Kathy, for more information about these and other au pairs. I can be reached at 319-621-4668.

Cultural Care Au Pair is proud to support our military. Families of those who are actively serving are eligible to receive an application fee waiver AND a $500 program fee discount. Families can apply using PCMilitary2011, must be new to Cultural Care Au Pair and show proof of their active service.

Please contact Kathy for more information: 319-621-4668 or kathy.weiss@lcc.culturalcare.com.

I occasionally receive calls from families in need of babysitters and this week I learned of the availability of an experienced, creative and fun-loving sitter named Anne.

Anne is a college student who lives in Iowa City. She has served as a live-in nanny to a family who has relocated to another state and she contacted me this week to express her desire to babysit. I will give Anne my highest recommendation. If you’re looking for a sitter in the Iowa City area, send me an email for more information: kathy.weiss@lcc.culturalcare.com.