goAUPAIR

goAUPAIR has been providing quality child care for over 15 years. Beginning as a nanny company in 1987 goAUPAIR soon expanded to include Au Pairs and was one of the original Au Pair Program sponsors designated by the department of State in 1989. goAUPAIR has representatives in over 50 countries on 6 different continents and in over 65 American cities with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.

For more information, please check goAUPAIR website http://www.goaupair.com

Regulations about Au Pair Program Sponsors

Regulations pertaining specifically to the Au Pair category are found at [22 CFR 62.31].

(a) Program eligibility. Sponsors designated by the Department of State to conduct an au pair exchange program shall;

(1) Limit the participation of foreign nationals in such programs to not more than one year;

(2) Limit the number of hours an EduCare au pair participant is obligated to provide child care services to not more than 10 hours per day or more than 30 hours per week and limit the number of hours all other au pair participants are obligated to provide child care services to not more than 10 hours per day or more than 45 hours per week;

(3) Require that EduCare au pair participants register and attend classes offered by an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution for not less than twelve semester hours of academic credit or its equivalent and that all other au pair participants register and attend classes offered by an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution for not less than six semester hours of academic credit or its equivalent;

(4) Require that all officers, employees, agents, and volunteers acting on their behalf are adequately trained and supervised;

(5) Require that the au pair participant is placed with a host family within one hour's driving time of the home of the local organizational representative authorized to act on the sponsor's behalf in both routine and emergency matters arising from the au pair's participation in their exchange program;

(6) Require that each local organizational representative maintain a record of all personal monthly contacts (or more frequently as required) with each au pair and host family for which he or she is responsible and issues or problems discussed;

(7) Require that all local organizational representatives contact au pair participants and host families twice monthly for the first two months following a placement other than the initial placement for which the au pair entered the United States.

(8) Require that local organizational representatives not devoting their full time and attention to their program obligations are responsible for no more than fifteen au pairs and host families; and

(9) Require that each local organizational representative is provided adequate support services by a regional organizational representative.

(b) Host family selection. Sponsors shall adequately screen all potential host families and at a minimum shall:

(1) Require that the host parents are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents;

(2) Require that host parents are fluent in spoken English;

(3) Require that all adult family members resident in the home have been personally interviewed by an organizational representative;

(4) Require that host parents and other adults living full-time in the household have successfully passed a background investigation including employment and personal character references;

(5) Require that the host family have adequate financial resources to undertake all hosting obligations;

(6) Provide a written detailed summary of the exchange program and the parameters of their and the au pair's duties, participation, and obligations; and

(7) Provide the host family with the prospective au pair participant's complete application, including all references.

 (c) Au pair placement. Sponsors shall secure, prior to the au pair's departure from the home country, a host family placement for each participant. Sponsors shall not:

(1) Place an au pair with a family unless the family has specifically agreed that a parent or other responsible adult will remain in the home for the first three days following the au pair's arrival;

(2) Place an au pair with a family having a child aged less than three months unless a parent or other responsible adult is present in the home;

(3) Place an au pair with a host family having children under the age of two, unless the au pair has at least 200 hours of documented infant child care experience. An au pair participating in the EduCare program shall not be placed with a family having pre-school children in the home unless alternative full-time arrangements for the supervision of such pre-school children are in place;

(4) Place an au pair with a host family having a special needs child, as so identified by the host family, unless the au pair has specifically identified his or her prior experience, skills, or training in the care of special needs children and the host family has reviewed and acknowledged in writing the au pair's prior experience, skills, or training so identified;

(5) Place an au pair with a host family unless a written agreement between the au pair and the host family detailing the au pair's obligation to provide child care has been signed by both the au pair and the host family prior to the au pair's departure from his or her home country. Such agreement shall clearly state whether the au pair is an EduCare program participant or not. Such agreement shall limit the obligation to provide child care services to not more than 10 hours per day or more than 45 hours per week unless the au pair is an EduCare participant. Such agreement shall limit the obligation of an EduCare participant to provide child care service to not more than 10 hours per day or more than 30 hours per week.

(6) Place the au pair with a family who cannot provide the au pair with a suitable private bedroom; and

(7) Place an au pair with a host family unless the host family has interviewed the au pair by telephone prior to the au pair's departure from his or her home country.

For more information, please check http://exchanges.state.gov/jexchanges/programs/aupair.html