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Community Corner

Massachusetts' Child Care Costs Nearing Highest in Country, Parents Look for Affordable Alternatives

Child Care Aware, the nation's most respected hub of information for parents and child care providers, has released its annual report on child care costs in America, and the news is not good for parents, especially working parents in Massachusetts.  In every state, the report summarizes, childcare in centers can be hard to find, is often of mediocre quality, and can be difficult to afford. In Massachusetts, parents can expect to pay more than $300/week for one child in daycare, and those numbers increase exponentially with a second or third child.

 

Massachusetts is the 4th least affordable state in the U.S. when it comes to childcare, with average annual fees for full-time care for an infant at $16,430, and for a 4-year old at $12,176.

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In addition to the financial cost, there can also be an emotional cost involved. Childcare challenges that working parents face include sick children, teachers’ professional development days, school holidays that are not the same as work holidays, snow days, public transit breakdowns - all those times when they need to be home, but cannot be there or get there.

 

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When Traci Doherty, a working mother from Belmont, learned she was expecting her third child, she knew she needed to simplify, streamline and find something more affordable.


“Prior to the birth of our third child, who is now five years old, we had nannies coming to our home until they were two years old, then our children went to family daycare until preschool,” said Doherty. “That gets expensive, and requires a fair amount of juggling!”

 

A surprisingly cost-effective solution for Doherty, and many local parents, turns out to be an au pair.  At an average cost of $355 per week (not per child), an au pair can provide up to 45 hours per week of childcare to meet the increasing demands of parents looking for a flexible, affordable and multicultural childcare solution.

 

“I remember saying to my husband, we can't logistically juggle two jobs, two children, a morning preschool schedule, daycare, and a new baby!” Doherty continued.  “I had heard about the au pair program and it seemed like a viable option to address our childcare needs.”

 

But she still had a hard time imagining a 19-year old living in her home and being able to manage three children under the age of 5. Doherty met with a local childcare consultant (LCC) from Cultural Care Au Pair the leading au pair agency in the U.S., headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

 

“I remember the Local Childcare Consultant at the time telling me ‘to have faith and try it,’” said Doherty.  Cultural Care Au Pair has the largest selection of candidates for families to choose from year-round, and recruits every au pair exclusively through established Cultural Care offices staffed with full-time employees.  “The au pair program has been one of the best things to happen to our family, on so many levels,” exclaims Doherty.

 

“Every family is different, but we share many common needs when it comes to childcare,” said Melissa Fredette, Cultural Care Au Pair Executive Vice President. “What we all want is a quality childcare provider who can meet a family’s ever changing needs and budget. The Cultural Care Au Pair program offers one-on-one supervision from an energetic, loving caregiver in the comfort of their home by someone who knows the rules and routine and, if there is a last minute schedule change, the flexibility to make those necessary adjustments.  It also provides host families and their children an opportunity to learn a second language as well as exposure to another country’s games, songs and cuisine.”

 

“An au pair provides so much more than the coveted simplicity of flexible, affordable, live-in childcare,” Traci Doherty concluded.  “When it is a successful match, an au pair is like a big sister, another daughter, and a friend for life.  And there is something to be said about the energy that a young adult can bring to a home and a family, not to mention the priceless cultural exchange and enrichment that children and host parents can gain.”

 

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Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading provider of intercultural, live-in childcare in the United States. Since 1989, Cultural Care Au Pair has placed more than 95,000 au pairs in welcoming American homes. A division of EF Education, the largest private education company in the world, and a U.S. Department of State regulated program, Cultural Care Au Pair is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with their own extensive network of recruitment, screening and orientation offices worldwide and more than 600 local childcare consultants across the U.S. For more information about hosting an au pair, visit http://www.culturalcare.com or call 800-333-6056.

 

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