3 Oct, 2011
San Ramon Express : Local family chooses unusual childcare method
When parents need someone reliable to take care of their children, they typically call the neighborhood babysitter or nanny. but others have turned to a unique type of service for childcare. for Danville residents Tom and Mimi Torres, choosing an au pair was an easy decision. At the recommendation of a family member, the couple contacted Au Pair Care ? a program that places foreign individuals from over 40 countries in American homes to help with childcare in exchange for room and board. After filling out an application and submitting to financial and background checks, the Torreses were interviewed and had had their house inspected to make sure the potential au pair?s room was ?up to standard.? once the family was approved, Tom and Mimi could enter the ?family room,? a portion of the company?s website where clients can view profiles of various au pairs. Mimi, a stay-at-home mom who needed a helping hand, was able to contact potential au pairs through e-mail, phone calls and Skype. ?If you like her and she likes you, you decide to make a match,? Mimi said. ?If it doesn?t work then you have the option of getting out of the situation,? Mimi said. The Torres family is currently accommodating their second au pair, a Serbian woman in her mid-twenties. Zeljka has been with the family for over three months. When looking for an au pair, Mimi said she kept her eye out for countries in Western and Eastern Europe. Although she did not elaborate on her interest in Europeans, the Torres family has had good luck with such au pairs. Their first au pair, Dijana, was from Bosnia. Mimi admits that she didn?t know much about Bosnia but after meeting the au pair and getting to know her family and friends, she came to the conclusion that they were lovely, hardworking and sympathetic people. ?When I was looking for the new au pair, I went straight to countries like Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia,? she said. While letting someone from a different country live in their home was strange at first, Mimi said she felt more sensitive as to how the au pair felt about being in America for the first time. ?I tried to make it as easy as possible,? she said, explaining that she would ease the au pairs into the family over the weekend begins training during the first two weeks. Although hiring a full-time au pair might seem to be an unobtainable expense for the average family, Mimi found it to be an affordable solution. After performing a cost analysis, Mimi determined that that a full time nanny costs the same amount of money as having an au pair, who works approximately 45 hours a week. ?She does everything I would do,? Mimi said. The au pair would help make beds and meals, do laundry and drive to play dates, as well as discipline in the same fashion Mimi would. When Zeljka was not working, Tom and Mimi would invite her to dinner because they liked to treat her as part of the family. but the warm and fuzzy family feelings didn?t come easy at first. When the Torreses first hired Dijana, Mimi said she felt nervous and vulnerable. Fortunately, Mimi had good faith in her judgment and both au pairs have worked out nicely. ?As soon as she stepped off the plane I knew she was the right person,? Mimi said of Dijana, who stayed for two years and has since then married a man from California. The couple now lives in Oakland. ?I think it?s great, a dream come true, a love story,? Mimi said. Now when the Torres family wants to visit Dijana, they don?t have to make the trip to Bosnia. Dijana?s departure was difficult on the family, who felt like they were losing a friend. Now, however, Mimi said it is a blessing to have her living so close now. ?It?s a friendship and it?s definitely a friendship with the girls,? Mimi said. both au pairs have been a good example for Mimi?s daughters and she said she would hire another au pair in a heartbeat, especially if she decided to go back to work full-time in the future. Mimi hopes that, by having an au pair, her three young daughters will become more cultured and develop the desire to explore different countries. ?It?s not for everybody but it works for us,? Mimi concluded.
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