Au pairs ease daycare woes

With daycare costs set to soar, middle-income Tauranga families are being urged to consider an alternative option for childcare - a foreign au pair.
More than 3500 Tauranga children and their families will be affected by government cuts to early childhood education funding next year, which could see them paying an extra $20-$44 a week in fees.
The Budget has done away with two of the highest bands of subsidy for childcare centres, effectively cutting funds to centres with more than 80 per cent of their staff trained. As a result, centres will have to do away with qualified staff or hike fees to make ends meet.
Au pairs are a cheaper alternative to nannies and cost on average $240 a week (excluding PAYE tax). Employed by a family to care for their children in return for a weekly wage, room and board, an au pair can offer flexibility for busy parents.
Cecilia Robinson, managing director of New Zealand's largest au pair agency Au Pair Link, says demand has increasedsince the 2010 ECE Budget cuts. Many "frustrated" parents were struggling to justify the cost of daycare.
Ms Robinson said that in the past, au pairs had been perceived as "expensive and not an option for middle-income families".
"That is simply not true. As a live-in caregiver, an au pair is less than a third of the cost of a nanny.
"For families with multiple children, an au pair is far more affordable than daycare - most parents have no idea of that."
Swedish-born Ms Robinson established Au Pair Link in 2007, based on the European and American models of an au pair agency.
In 2009, it became the first au pair agency in New Zealand to become licensed by the Ministry of Education as a Homebased Early Childhood Education provider.
Today, Au Pair Link employs more than 13 staff and has placed hundreds of au pairs throughout New Zealand.
Ms Robinson said one of the many appeals was "no more picking up and dropping off children at daycare, or worrying about getting a babysitter at the last minute".
Having an au pair was effectively like "an extra pair of hands in the home".
All of the au pairs from the internationally recognised agency were competent in conversational English, trained in first aid and had, on average, 1300 hours of documented childcare experience.
They had also been through a screening process, including police and medical-record checks, references, a personal interview, English and personality tests.
"I think the biggest impact on parents is that their level of stress is reduced," Ms Robinson said.
"When you don't have to worry about coming home from work, going to the supermarket, putting your children's dinner on and doing the housework, life just becomes that little bit easier."
Au Pair Link is the only au pair agency in New Zealand that is a Ministry of Education-licensed Home Based Early Childhood Education provider.
Au Pair Link has offices throughout the country, including in the Bay of Plenty.
For more information visit www.aupairlink.co.nz or call 0800 AU PAIR.