The surprisingly affordable, culturally educational child care alternative: au pairs

(ARA) - If you're a working-parent family with school-aged children or younger, you know first-hand the price of child care.

Child care costs are not only high, but are rising, according to a report released by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. In 2009, the cost of child care had increased twice as fast as the median income of families with children since 2000.

Child care for a school-aged child runs up to $10,720 a year on average and up to $13,150 for full-time care for a 4 year old, according to the NACCRRA. For families with more than one child, these costs can add up very quickly.

One child care alternative growing in popularity is au pair child care. An au pair can be much more cost-effective than using daycare or hiring nannies or babysitters, especially for families with more than one child. For example, hiring an au pair through Cultural Care Au Pair costs just $340 a week, or $7.50 an hour. This cost is per family, not per child.

In addition to being affordable, the au pair program comes with other benefits for working-parent families with school-aged and younger children. Au pairs provide live-in, one-on-one supervision and work a flexible schedule that you decide. They can assist with light household duties like preparing meals for your children, doing their laundry, helping them keep their rooms tidy and driving them to and from school and activities. They can help kids with their homework. And, unique to the au pair program, au pairs - who hail from different countries all over the world - can teach their host children about their native customs and language. In fact, many children with au pairs grow up to be bilingual.

Cultural Care Au Pair has over 20 years of experience helping families secure intercultural child care and provides support both for the host families and the au pairs. Au pair candidates are carefully screened, and matched with a family according to their individual child care needs, personality and lifestyle. Families then engage in an extensive interview process and select the au pair they like best. Au pairs travel to the U.S. on a legal J-1exchange visa and can stay for up to two years.

To hire an au pair, families must require up to 45 hours of child care each week and provide a private bedroom for the au pair. Families must welcome their au pair as a family member and be willing to contribute up to $500 toward their au pair's education while in the U.S.

For more information on hiring an au pair this school year and introducing your children to new languages, foods, customs and music, visit www.culturalcare.

Courtesy of ARAcontent