The Bloch Family & their au pair Taneesha

2018 Host Family of the Year Finalist

The Bloch family, a host family in Connecticut 

I grew up as an only child and had always wished for siblings. My wish however has come true and I am blessed to be able to spend my time with such amazing kids who have filled that empty space. After such a short period of time, Hudson was already asking if his parents could adopt me, and even saying when I go back to Australia and have kids of my own, he wants to come live with me and be my au pair!

This year, Thanksgiving was a special one. We went on holiday with the extended family to Las Vegas. As we shared what we were grateful for at Thanksgiving dinner, hearing my host family say such nice things about me really made me feel special and affirmed that they feel the same way I do.

Submitted by Taneesha, Cultural Care au pair from Australia

See all of the top 10 finalists for the 2018 Host Family of the Year Award →

The Jacobs Family & their au pair Camila

Camila arrived in Atlanta on a Friday afternoon and we immediately felt like she was part of our family. Every day since then, Camila has continued to weave herself into the fabric of our family's lives. From cooking and eating meals with all of us, to arts and crafts with the girls, to basketball and bike riding with our son...her laughter and bubbly nature has permeated every corner of our house and filled our days with a happy glow. Our family is better for it. I didn't think it was possible for our kids to love someone so much in such a short time. But they do. Camila is in her final days with our family, but she is far from leaving our family. In our hearts, she will be with us forever. We already have plans to visit her and her entire family in Argentina, and our girls have already vowed to be flower girls in her wedding.

Submitted by Paola Jacobs, host mom in Georgia

The Franklin Family & their au pair Julius

Julius joined our family in Oct 2015, and there was an immediate connection. Our oldest child, Chamberlain, has special needs and that was one of our focused needs when finding the right person to join our family. Julius jumped right in and hasn’t looked back. He tries to provide Chamberlain with an experience just as any typical kid would have, which is not an easy feat all of the time. Our second son, Sullivan, spends most of his days with Julius, and they have created such an incredible bond. This past year has been quite a whirlwind for our family, and having Julius here has been invaluable. Julius has been extremely affable about all the changes and always willing to jump in and help or just be there if needed. Julius is a part of our family and will always be. We look forward to the rest of his time here, as we continue to make memories and spend time together.

Submitted by Jenna Franklin, host mom in Missouri

The Sambou Family & their au pair, Hardjata

To start out our story, I was raised in a rural Illinois town not exposed to many different cultures. Upon meeting my husband in college my outlook on the world changed. My husband and both of our sons were adopted from a small county in West Africa, Gambia. After experiencing world travel and other cultures the au pair program sounded like a program our family had to participate in.

When our youngest son came home we knew we had to change our childcare plan. For working parents this is one of the biggest stressors. After we started our search with Cultural Care we met a lovely young woman from France named Hardjata. After talking with her for a few weeks we asked her to be our first au pair and she accepted. 

Hardjata has changed our family in a highly positive way. She provides laughter, love and friendship. She also provides safety and security to our children. She's been an amazing big sister to our boys and a great friend to us. We love the diversity and culture she adds to our blended family. 

As she takes on her journey to return to France and complete her education, we know she will do amazing things in her life. We know we will always stay in touch. And we appreciate the sacrifice she and her family made to spend a year with our family.

Submitted by Aleshia Sambou, host mom in Illinois

The Shroff Family & their au pair Jeremias

Dear Senator Feinstein,

Please meet Jeremias, our au pair from Austria. The au pair program has changed our lives and we would appreciate your vote in keeping it alive. Here's why:

• As two busy Silicon Valley working professionals, we have struggled to find childcare for Spencer (6) and Finley (3). There is a documented shortage of early childcare facilities in Redwood City (and throughout California) that is only expected to grow. There simply aren't spaces at day cares.
• We have tried and failed with five different employment situations, ranging from nannies, to drivers, to mothers' helpers to try to figure out how to get Spencer and Finely transported to different places, at different times, and to manage changing travel schedules on our part, and school breaks, and other situations. The flexibility of an au pair is unmatched by any other child care option.
• Contrary to some opinions, hosting an au pair is not a "cheap" source of labor.  It costs us more than a nanny at $20-25/hr due to the fact that car insurance is expensive, extra rooms and plane tickets, ski tickets, etc. must be purchased, and room and lodging costs add up quickly.  
• We include our au pair in everything—he is a family member, and we know that most other host families take the same approach.  We have always followed the rules and limits on working hours, and know that most families are very respectful of these limits. Our agency, Cultural Care, has followed up with us and verified our adherence to the program rules every month.
• Although we're not a military family, we understand that au pairs have been a valuable source of help for families where one spouse or the other is deployed. Again, there is no other childcare option that replicates the ability to have another "family member" in your home.
• The cultural exchange aspect goes without mentioning—we have shared the best of America with Jeremias, and he has a lifelong appreciation and love for the country. Since he's Austrian, he was practically born on skis, and we skied all over Tahoe together this winter. He came to Apple Hill for apple picking, Half Moon Bay for surfing, San Diego, and everywhere we went. He handled all the ups and downs of our family life with patience, maturity, and optimism that we never found in any "hired help" and loved our boys as his little brothers.
• The diplomacy and connections that are made through the au pair program are huge benefits to the US. The program truly does accomplish the cultural exchange components that it purports to culminate. Indeed, we have a year's worth of pictures in sharing family memories that supports this notion. :-)
• These au pairs are simply phenomenal young men and women who share and bring so much optimism to the lives of their host families. Jeremias, in fact, was nominated as one of the au pairs of the year—take a look at the love and memories documented by him and other au pairs here: https://culturalcare.com/blog/our-ten-finalists-for-the-2017-au-pair-of-the-year-award/

Thanks for lending an ear. Put simply, many of your California constituents would be absolutely devastated (logistically and emotionally) if their au pair family members were taken away, us included. While there will always be exceptions, a deep dig into the program will demonstrate that in 99% of the cases, the au pair program results in a lifelong cultural exchange that also fulfills childcare needs that cannot be met in any other fashion. 

Please support the program.

Best,
The Shroff Family

Submitted by Bodie Bristol, host mom in California

The Jones Family & their au pairs Nikla, Antonella, and Chiara

We are currently on our third Italian au pair (Nikla), our first two (Antonella and then Chiara) have had a warm and positive impact on my daughter Annachiara and our entire family. At one point this summer Antonella returned for a visit and in the wake of the birth of my infant son my daughter had fun "exploring" a nearby walking trail with both her past and present au pairs! I could relax at work knowing that they loved my daughter as only a family member could. My husband and I both commute in to New York from the suburbs, our hours are long and our schedules are often unpredictable. It was so wonderful having someone at home with my daughter (and now also my infant son) from the time we stepped out the door. Over the course of the past two years I also had to perform 3 short term overseas assignments in the U.K. as a reserve officer in the US Air Force. Having an au pair is what made this possible and reduced the stress on my daughter. Additionally, I am a proud Italian American and have been thrilled that my daughter has daily exposure to the Italian language and culture that I grew up appreciating.

Submitted by Lauren Perone Jones, host mom in New York

The De Gaillande Family & their au pair Claire

When we first spoke to Claire via Skype, her intelligence, kindness, and openness were immediately apparent. Little did we know that she would become such a huge asset to our lives and cherished part of our family. Right when she arrived, she made our kids feel safe and loved and jumped into our life routine with courtesy and grace and skill. She is incredibly gifted at reading emotional cues from our kids, and she figured out how to be caring and supportive while also taking our lead and setting boundaries when appropriate. Though her own upbringing and cultural norms are different from ours, she adapted effortlessly into our routine and our way of doing things, while bringing her own French flair into our lives. She is happy to cook family meals multiple times a week if we are not able to do so. Claire has extensive experience as a camp counselor in France, so not a minute goes by when she is not thinking of an activity in which to engage the kids. She creates incredible art projects with them, including making lifelike figures out of branches and flowers they find in the forest, or creating Christmas ornaments from paper towel rolls.

Submitted by Pierre de Gaillande, host dad in New York

The O'Connell Family & their au pair Michael

As a working single mother of a 3 year old boy, I require additional support in the home to help care for my active child. We've had great au pairs since my son's birth and have greatly benefited from each caregiver on their year rotation in our home. We still keep in touch with our French au pair, especially as world events continually unite us.

Currently we have a young man from Czech Republic as our au pair and is my son's best friend. Michael is a welcomed addition to our family, giving my son the male influence he needs in an environment where local male nannies are not an option for us. Our au pair has benefitted greatly by living his dream of experiencing the positive American way of life.

The sharing of language, culture, food and ideals is an invaluable experience as my son gains global appreciation & tolerance. And we do our part to show the best of American life with our young adult friends around the world. Together, our families unite in a way that connects us to our larger global families.

Submitted by Jen O'Connell, host mom in Montana

The Jucknies Family & their au pair Badea

From the moment she stepped off the plane, Badea has maintained an ideal balance as a big sister, role model, and best friend to our three children and a dear friend to my wife and me. This rapid integration into our lives was very important to us because of our extraordinarily busy schedules. I am a full time pilot with Delta Air Lines and part time pilot for the Air National Guard, and my wife is a full-time Doctor of Chiropractic student. We have three children ages 4, 5 ½, and 6 who are each in Montessori school and three different extracurricular activities weekly. From the moment Badea joined our family, she immediately jumped in wherever necessary. It was incredible to see her proactively integrate where she was most needed.

German culture is another area where Badea has blessed our family. The children love making German dishes and cookies with her and learning German Christmas traditions and words. On one of our drives together our then 3 ½ year old yelled from the back of the car, “A zug! A zug!” which is German for train. It was so cute and she was so proud of the word she had learned.

The largest impact that Badea has had on our family, we are experiencing at this very moment. I am currently deployed overseas with the Air National Guard, flying missions to supporting military conflict operations. I have been more worried about this deployment than any of the others because our son has recently struggled with me being on the road so much. Badea responded by patiently providing an unwavering foundation of love, understanding, and structure in our son’s everyday life, and he quickly turned the corner! His teachers told my wife and me that Badea has had a very positive impact on his behavior and overall happiness.

Submitted by Siegfried Jucknies, host dad in Georgia

The Mensah-Bonsu Family & their au pair Magdalena

Magdalena is a breath of fresh air. She has so much energy, a wonderful, positive attitude, and she cares so much for our children and our family. She is everything we were looking for in an au pair, and more! Magdalena takes her role as an extension of us very seriously, and has become a vital part of our family.

We moved to Texas a year ago to transition to new jobs. We both work full time, and did not realize that my husband would be traveling several days per week every week. Magdalena saves us! She gets the kids off to school in the morning, takes our 3-year-old to and from preschool and ballet, then helps the older kids get off the bus in the afternoon, assists them with homework, and activities. She is creative, patient (!) and helps them be their best at school and at home. She takes them on adventures, and is constantly talking to them and teaching them about the world.

Magdalena also shares with us her Polish heritage and traditions, cooks Polish food, and teaches us Polish phrases, which has helped our children be more aware of what is going on in the world. Magdalena does all of these things with the kind of care and attention to detail that working parents want and appreciate in helping to raise responsible, loving and kind children.

Submitted by Noel Mensah-Bonsu, host mom in Texas