I've asked some of our AuPairCare families what their favorite things are about being host families. Some said the authentic Greek/ El Salvadorian/ French food or adding family members from around the world and learning about where they live. Mine is hands-down sharing the child-related chores.  I love cooking, but I hate cleaning, sorting and organizing, so coming home to a house that only has MY stuff laying around is such a relief.  (My husband confines his mess to the garage!)

There were lots of different responses, but these were the top ten (from my casual, totally non-scientific survey):  

10.  Having a bedtime fairy to help get the kids to sleep.

9.  That my kids can have playdates after school.

8.  Not paying daycare late pick-up fees.

7.  Not having to drive to two different schools on the way to work.

6.  The second-language my kids are learning.

5.  The friendships my kids are developing with each other.

4.  The fact that my mom says I'm a better mom, wife, and worker because of my au pair.

3.  The margin it creates in my family's life.

2.  The standing date night I have with my husband.

1.  The affordable flexibility that I didn't have with daycare.

Do you have a favorite part of the program?  What is it?  How has it changed your family and work balance?  

One of our host dads was featured on Patch.com Walnut Creek this week! Read how Christian Madsen, single-father-of-two living in Walnut Creek, California, balances his work, home and love life with the help of his au pair Miriam. Read the story here.

Many parents start saving for their child’s college fund during the first few years of their child’s life. But, according to new research by the State Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Network, saving for child care should be a parent’s main concern. One year of child care is reportedly more expensive than college tuition in more than half the country. If parents spend an average of 18 years saving for college, when should they start saving for child care?

The research shows that in 36 states, the cost of one year of center-based child care for an infant is higher than one year of tuition and related fees at a public four-year college. The least affordable states for child care include Massachusetts, New York, Hawaii, Colorado, Minnesota, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Montana, Wisconsin, Vermont, Maine, and Pennsylvania.

The ridiculously high cost of child care has many parents thinking in terms of overall cost instead of overall quality.  But, parents shouldn’t have to choose between quality and price.  One area where au pair child care really shines is affordability and quality.  AuPairCare child care offers family high quality child care, with a low caregiver-to-child ratio, while also being more affordable than many center options.

And, since saving for college isn’t going to go away, every little bit helps!