Cultural Care Au Pair Wins Au Pair of the Year Award - AGAIN!

A young journalism student from Natal, Brazil who has shown compassion and dedication in his daily care for a special needs boy, has earned the distinction of being named the “International Au Pair of the Year”, the second consecutive honor for a Cultural Care au pair, an agency that places au pairs with families in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Long Beach, the Westside, San Fernando Valley and other Greater Los Angeles area neighborhoods.

The “Au Pair of the Year” Award honors au pairs who are caring, dependable and exceptional providers of childcare to their host family. Francisco Ricardo Silva de Araújo, au pair to the Boyer family of Richmond, Virginia was chosen from among local nominees as well as au pairs around the world in more than 50,000 host families. He was presented with the award at the 15th Annual International Au Pair Association Conference in Vienna, Austria on March 25th. Linda Falter from Germany, another Cultural Care au pair, won the award in 2008.

The Boyer family nominated Ricardo for this prestigious award because of his devotion to their son, Taylor. Taylor is multi-handicapped and does not speak. “Ricardo is an exceptional young man, full of compassion, patience, gentleness. He never tires of encouraging Taylor to meet his challenges and reach beyond them,” says Kim Boyer, Ricardo’s host mother. “He has truly enhanced Taylor's life in a way I never thought possible.”

“We could not be more proud of this fine young man and our au pair program that has now won the award for two consecutive years,” says David Fougere, President of Cultural Care Au Pair. “I think Kim Boyer said it best in her nomination. ‘Ricardo is an excellent example of all that one would hope for in a childcare provider. He is truly the spirit of Cultural Care and the best in mankind.’”

WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT RICARDO HERE: Fwww.culturalcare.com/award

The International Au Pair Association is the global trade association for qualified au pair agencies actively engaged in the au pair industry. Headquartered in Denmark, there are 143 members in 38 countries around the world. http://iapa.org

Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading provider of intercultural childcare and educational exchange. Since 1989, Cultural Care has placed more than 75,000 au pairs in welcoming American homes. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., with an extensive network of recruitment, screening and orientation offices worldwide. http://culturalcare.com

Cultural Care Au Pair in the Daily Breeze

Last week a reporter from the Daily Breeze came to our home to write a profile on my job as a Local Childcare Coordinator. He interviewed me, and even talked to our au pair and the kids. They took some great pictures of the kids playing outside with our au pair, Paola, and focused on the South Bay Au Pair group in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and the other parts of the South Bay. Here is the link. You won't be able to view the picture, but you will be able to read the article.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_12007613

Welcome to the South Bay Au Pairs Blog

I am a Cultural Care Au Pair Host Mom in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. I am also a Local Childcare Coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair. I have had an an au pair from Romania and an au pair from Mexico who have become active parts of our family, and created bonds that will last forever with both my kids. In fact, we couldn't live the crazy, daily life we do without these great young women.

As a Local Childcare Coordinator for Cultural Care, I have had the pleasure of working with a large group of young men and women from around the world. I have met au pairs from Sweden, Germany, Norway, Thailand, South Africa, Panama, Mexico, Moldova, Russia and so many other corners of the world. And I have also helped families in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Palos Verdes — and all over the U.S. — find a childcare solution that's flexible, affordable and enhances their lives all at the same time.

Prior to selecting the au pair program for our childcare needs, our kids went to a home daycare. We also had a part-time nanny. While both the nanny and home daycare were wonderful, we have found the au pair program best suits our needs. My husband owns his own business, and I work from home. We have much greater flexibility having someone who lives with us, whose schedule is flexible enough to work around ours. And besides, our kids really enjoy having a big sister around who can play Sequence and Candyland for hours on end.

If you are a host family that is looking for more information about the au pair program, I am happy to share information about how your family can enjoy the benefits of the au pair program with Cultural Care Au Pair.

Tracy Cota
Local Childcare Coordinator
Cultural Care Au Pair
310-283-3521