Educational Benefits
Bulgarian au pair, Dobromira
Just as a smaller class size in school can improve the effectiveness of teaching, Au Pair in America can help facilitate your child’s intellectual growth through personal one-on-one attention. No matter the age of your child, our au pairs are able to assist in their development.
Ages 0 - 4
Toddlers
School Aged Children
Special Needs
Culture and Foreign Language
Ages 0 - 4
During these formative years, the more words that are spoken to your children, the faster their language, vocabulary and IQ develop. The benefits of speaking to your child from an early age have been researched in depth by the LENA Research Foundation and reported in The Power of Talk. Your au pair caring for your children during hours you are not with them increases the number of words they hear each day. What’s more, their exposure to both English and the au pair’s native language further enhances and stimulates their growth.
With many parents wanting their children to be bilingual, au pairs are an ideal way to give your child the constant exposure and daily reinforcement that is proven to be the best method to immerse children in a new language. Younger children are uniquely suited to learn a second language as their developing brain is wired to learn a new language as easily as they learned to walk. Many au pairs utilize books, songs and games when helping to teach host children their native language.
Toddlers
Through the use of the LENA Home system, conversations between you and your toddler are quantified and analyzed to ensure they are experiencing the type of rich language environment that leads to an advanced learning trajectory. LENA measures the number of words you speak to your child as well as the number of conversational turns. This turn-taking is as important as the spoken adult word because turn-taking accelerates your child’s language development. LENA promotes talk between you and your child – and your au pair and your child; languages and interactions that your child needs to succeed in life.
School Aged Children
While our au pairs are not trained to be full-fledged tutors, it is their responsibility to help your child with their homework whenever possible, giving you the built-in luxury of a homework "helper."
In addition, many of our host families cite the cultural enrichment their children receive from Au Pair in America as one of their favorite elements of the program. As your child grows older and begins to expand their thinking, they have already and currently receiving a global education learning about your au pair’s culture and customs.
Special Needs
Many Au Pair in America au pairs are able to care for your special needs child. You can request that your au pair have actual documented experience caring for special needs children, as well as see what that experience entailed.
In addition, our partner, the LENA Research Foundation, develops advanced technology for the early screening, research and treatment of language delays and disorders in young children and is available to our host families at a discounted rate. The LENA Language and Autism Screen has proven to decrease the average age of diagnosis, allowing parents to begin treatment earlier.
Culture and Foreign Language
Au pairs provide an enriching multi-cultural experience, as they will share their home country’s culture and customs with your entire family. Some families take this opportunity to expand their children’s language capabilities, and the au pair shares her foreign language with the children. The family can choose an au pair from a country that they are interested in learning more about, or perhaps is the same as their heritage. Many parents want their children to be bilingual and the constant exposure and reinforcement provided by an au pair are the best ways to immerse the children in a new language. Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Mandarin are just some of the many native languages of the au pairs!
"I have become so fluent in French that I've tested out of my middle school French course. They say I'm a native speaker - too advanced. This makes me feel very accomplished."
- Ellen, age 12, MA
"It's important to us that our kids know about the bigger world outside our town and country, and our au pairs have made this real. They also help our kids (and ourselves) to learn more about our own country, by sharing the excitement of their discoveries as they learn about and adapt to life in the U.S. We also have kids in a dual language (Spanish-English) program at our local public school, so our au pairs have helped them to learn proper Spanish. A real bonus!"
- Jennifer, Host Mother, NY
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