Au Pairs: A Unique Solution for Military Families

Many military families have unique childcare needs. One or both parents can be on active duty, a spouse may be deployed, or the family may have an assignment that requires travel. Every day, American military families are making sacrifices for our country and AuPairCare is grateful to be part of the lives of these families (and we offer host family discounts including a military discount for active service members).

Here are some of the ways that our military families have utilized the au pair program in their lives:

Flexibility

Depending on the assignment of the parent - night duty, spouse deployment, odd schedule, the flexibility of an au pair comes in handy. When a parent finds that their hours don't work with the local day care, or the number of children in the family makes other forms of childcare cost prohibitive, an au pair is often a great solution.

During a Move

Schools, houses and friends change. One thing that can remain constant during a move is your children's caregiver.When parents are dealing with the stressful logistics of the move (the house is being shown, the movers are here, I need to pack!) our military families have found au pairs to be an invaluable resource who provide support and a calming influence on the children.

Acclimating to a New Area

An au pair can help the entire family ease into a new community. From researching new ballet studios to finding the neighborhood soccer team, an au pair is a valuable asset for host parents while they are at work adjusting to their own new environment.

Navy Captain Joyner says of her family's au pair experience:

"Being a dual military family provides a uniquely challenging child care problem which we have successfully managed through our use of the live-in option provided by au pairs. Because of their help and involvement we have weathered deployments while keeping our children's lives stable and filled with love and energy."  

While au pairs can be a great option for many families, military families in particular find that au pairs can uniquely accommodate their ever changing schedule, while providing safe, reliable, live-in childcare with a cultural twist!