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Cultural Care Au Pair is the largest au pair agency in the U.S., celebrating over 30 years matching au pairs with American families for a unique cultural exchange and childcare experience. Host families choose Cultural Care as their trusted source for flexible, reliable childcare that feels like part of the family. Au pairs benefit from the largest network of Local Childcare Consultants to support their cultural exchange experience. Families appreciate being able to schedule up to 45 hours per week and up to 10 hours per day of childcare when they need it.
Reviews 835
Victoria Riedel
Feb 23,2025I’m an Au Pair from Cultural Care and from the beginning they bothered me with calls and emails. During the time in the US I still got unnecessary emails. The paying is bad but I think that’s the Au Pair program in general. The flights home which you can choose are horrible!!! It would be so much easier if you would just book your own flight on Expedia/booking/etc….the flights which you can choose doesn’t make any sense also they charge you because of everything…Cultural Care just wants the money and that’s it! They are so expensive and still just want money…I can’t recommend this Agency! If you want to do an Au Pair year what is really fun if you have a good family, choose a different agency.
Joy GB
Feb 23,2025After going through two rematches due to poor conditions with my host families, my experience with Cultural Care has been bittersweet. During my second rematch, the only option they provided was staying at an LCC’s house under terrible conditions—lack of safety, poor hygiene, unsanitary living spaces, and very limited food. For an agency that claims to prioritize the well-being of Au Pairs, this was extremely disappointing. Additionally, the platform needs major improvements. Right now, Au Pairs can only interview with three families at a time, which still significantly limits our chances of finding a suitable match. Allowing at least five interviews would give us more opportunities to make better-informed decisions and avoid bad experiences. Another critical issue is the unfair pay structure. I currently live in California, one of the most expensive states in the U.S., and I am paid the bare minimum allowed by the program. Meanwhile, Au Pairs with other agencies receive up to three times my salary while working fewer hours because those agencies apply state labor laws regarding hourly childcare pay. Cultural Care should follow the same regulations to ensure fair compensation in states where childcare workers are legally entitled to hourly wages. Most importantly, the agency must ensure that host families comply with program rules. My first host family made me work beyond the legal hours and care for children who were not part of the program. In my second placement, I reported that they forced me to work 20-hour shifts, yet Cultural Care still allowed them to remain in the program. Worse, they let this family leave a negative review on my profile, which was completely unfair given the circumstances. Although my current host family has been a better experience, Cultural Care has a long way to go in protecting Au Pairs and ensuring they are placed in safe, fair, and respectful environments. I hope they listen to Au Pairs’ concerns and take action to implement these necessary changes.
Mel
Feb 21,2025I did not have a bad experience as an au pair but if it was bad, the agency wouldn’t have done anything for me. After the host dad yelled at me for the 2nd time due his anger issues, the lcc said in front of me and the host family that I couldn’t do a rematch. I asked why and she just said “it’s just not a good reason”. After that o left the program. The host familly took it personal. We should evaluate the people who hires a person who is traveling so far more. You come from so far away and 80% of the times (or even more) you find yourself treated like the worst piece of art just because they think they own you. And the agency of course will be on the side of who pays more.
Ksb
Feb 21,2025Its great time IF YOU HAVE A GREAT FAMILY. The program needs more rules for the HF like they have them with the AuPairs. AuPairs PAY for this, is not a favor they are making for them, they need nor respect and backup! The salary NEEDS a raise ASAP! Even tho they family provide stuff is an Abuse get paid FOUR DOLLAR PER HOUR! ($4dl x hr) working with one of the most important ways that is with humans. My experience has ben AMAZING but onlu because of my positivism and the great family i have, not because of the agency.
Zoe
Feb 20,2025I had a good experience, however I feel this is NOT a cultural exchange. The host families just want a low cost child care. Working 45 hours a week just for $200 isn’t enough in this economy. (I know we don’t pay for food or other things, but sometimes we have to pay for our own gas and personal stuff) if I had the chance to do the program again I will never do it. Again, this is not a cultural exchange, the families only wants low cost child care
andrey masser
Feb 20,2025Its a bad program in general, needs to have more filters for the families since A LOT of families are in this program just to have someone cheap working all day, no because they even care for the person who’s living with them, the amount of hours that we work are RIDICULOUS and you can see it even in facebook groups of host families that sometimes people ask for the benefits to host an aupair and they say, if you want housekeeper plus nanny get a aupair , the payment its RIDICULOUS you CAN NOT do anything with 200-250 dlls more in areas like NY, CT, NJ because even sometimes we gotta pay for the gas of the car that you use with the kids , the only good thing about this program are my friends, and not, rematch isnt easily because you have to face the families and no one tell you the fear that you feel in that moment so sometimes you just have to live whit this… I dont recommend no one to do it, and if i have to it will be just for the travels (that are not a lot since our payment , unless are with the family and no one tell you how its traveling/working) and the friends that you can make
Lizeth
Feb 20,2025The program is too heavy, long hours shift, sometimes you don’t have time to yourself, super low stipend specially if you live in an expensive city, (with the part that some of you work with 3 kids!!!) HF literally just care that is a lowcost nanny that also works as a house keeper bc thats how u sell it with your “light cleaning” promise, it could all be worth it if its stipend was fair, they should charge per kid/ per hour or something fair for the two parts!!
vanessa garcia
Feb 20,2025The general idea of the program is fantastic. Unfortunately, we can't live off promises and sweet dreams. The majority of the families have an AP for the low-cost childcare, therefore the whole experience quickly turns a nightmare. Schedules are hardly respected, all of a sudden you're chores list grows and grows and have nothing to do with kids tasks, the disrespect and low effort to communicate properly, the allowance compared to all the work were required to do is not fair. We don't leave the comfort of our homes to go to a new country and live with a family that will put restrictions on the food you can eat from their house. Join this program if you know how to speak up for yourself, if you know how to establish clear, oportun and healthy limits. Otherwise, it'll be chaos.
L.S.
Feb 18,2025Ich hatte ein super tolles Jahr mit CCAP und würde die Organisation jedem von vollstem Herzen empfehlen!
Bunmi
Feb 15,2025Do not use this company.
Rosa
Feb 14,2025Ich kann Cultural Care leider nicht empfehlen. In Deutschland verlief alles noch relativ schnell und unkompliziert, aber als ich dann in den USA angekommen bin, fing der Ärger an. Meine LCC (Local Care Coordinator) war unfreundlich und hat mich sogar beleidigt, anstatt mich zu unterstützen. Ich musste zweimal ins Rematch, und beim dritten Versuch gab es dann noch Probleme mit der CC-App, was die ganze Situation noch schwieriger gemacht hat. Die Familien, die durch Cultural Care vermittelt werden, werden nicht ausreichend geprüft. Ich hatte dort leider keine gute Zeit. Man merkt den Kindern an, dass sie Probleme haben, ständig ein neues Au-pair zu bekommen. Es scheint, als ob diese ständigen Wechsel sehr belastend für alle Beteiligten sind. Dazu kommt, dass man eine Menge Geld für eine Agentur zahlt, die dann offensichtlich mehr auf der Seite der Familien steht, anstatt sich wirklich um das Wohl der Au-pairs zu kümmern.
khanyi
Feb 08,2025My au pair experience has been an exhilarating and profoundly enriching odyssey, marked by cultural immersion, personal evaluation and the cultivation of enduring connections. Residing with a host family provided an unparalleled opportunity to assimilate into a new way of life while honing indispensable skills in childcare, cross-cultural communication, and adaptability. From forging indelible bonds with the children to embarking on enthralling explorations, every facet of this transformative journey has left an indelible mark, shaping me both personally and professionally in ways beyond measure. I am super grateful for this program for the journey and experience it has awarded me. The agency could improve by offering more support to au pairs especially since most au pairs are always afraid of their LCC's because they are either too friendly with their host families or they are generally just not the type of people one can easily open up to. Being in a different country alone is already hard the last thing that au pairs need is added stress or being too afraid to open up in fear of being sent home before completing their au pair year. Having impartial individuals on the ground, those who are not always in favor of host families but are genuinely committed to resolving issues would be a better approach. This would definitely encourage more au pairs to speak up about their concerns, knowing they have fair and supportive advocates to turn to. The two weeks vacation is also another issue that could be resolved, both two weeks should be chosen by the au pair and not split into "one week chosen by host family and other by au pair". Au pairs should be able to have full control on their two weeks vacation as they mostly have little to no time to themselves during the week and most weekends, it is only fair that they are awarded their two weeks vacation with no control whatsoever. In conclusion, my au pair journey has been an invaluable experience that not only allowed me to grow personally but also broadened my understanding of different cultures and perspectives. it has helped me develop more patience, responsibility and communication skills, all of which will benefit me in my future endeavors. this journey has reinforced my passion for working children and affirmed my desire to pursue a career that fosters meaningful connections and growth and I'm deeply grateful to Cultural Care for for facilitating the connection between the USA and South Africa, making it possible for me to experience this cultural exchange in it's entirety.
Erin E
Feb 06,2025Wonderful experience as a host family. They have the largest network of au pairs. The matching specialists rematch network is great. They are also super quick on requests and communication. The specialists really help finding needs for both family and right au pair
Valentina
Feb 04,2025I think that the program needs to check more the au pairs about how the host family are treating them and how the LCCs help the au pair. Some host families take advantage of the au pairs and when we try to say something to the LCCs, they don't really help.
Anonymous users
Feb 04,2025The new app is terrible for creating cohesive profile. There are less ways to distinguish one au pairs from another based on the profiles. Furthermore one video from the au pairs does not give you a sense of who they are. The boxes are limited to few characters so it’s hard to distinguish yourself in these “small” fields for answers within the app. The chat function that replaced the old connection request has improved some aspects of the au pair search in that it is faster to get responses from au pairs. So the turnover time to talk to new candidates is quicker and the process is more efficient. The video function of the app is terrible and I often used what’s app instead once the connection was accepted and the conversation started.
Frida
Feb 04,2025I have had a great experience with cultural care. They always help me out and answer all my questions I have about anything.
Amanda Hauer
Feb 03,2025I would leave 0 stars if possible. THE ABSOLUTE WORST Au pair agency. DO NOT USE! This agency should be shut down. Disgusted by my experience with Cultural Care Au Pair. To say this company is negligent and unprofessional is an understatement. They put my child's safety at risk, and their total lack of care for my concerns is appalling. The au pair assigned to us was completely incompetent when it came to basic child safety. She had played cruel pranks on the kids, left my kids somewhere without consent of myself or my husband, and drove the car without the kids buckled resulting in the kids getting hurt! When I raised these issues to Cultural Care, they were defending the au pairs actions, allowing her to stay with the program- and downright dismissive towards us. It was clear they couldn't care less about my children's well-being or safety. The communication was terrible, and every time I tried to get answers or escalate the situation, I was met with excuses or just flat-out ignored. The lack of professionalism from the agency and the au pair is beyond unacceptable. It felt like they were just collecting a paycheck without any regard for the responsibility they had to my family. I wouldn't trust this agency to care for a pet, let alone a child. DO NOT make the mistake of using Cultural Care Au Pair--this is a company that cares more about profits than providing quality care.
Erika Alejandra
Feb 03,2025Because in my case my LCC is always present for everything I need. The family has been excellent too.
Tshinakaho Kelley
Feb 01,2025At first my experience was not great for 2 months, the food was different, the place , weather, people etc. And the family i was with the first time they didn't even understand and try to send me back home funny enough to say but I rematch with them and I ended up with a great family who understood and taught me some of the stuff I didn't understand or knew, they are the greatest family, I even extended with them and the kids 2 little girls we get along so well, we do stuff and celebrate some of the holidays together, they really made me feel like am part of the family . I really appreciate cultural care for helping me with my rematch process they made me feel safe and i also got the support i needed, also my LLC she is the best LLC i got she really helped us feel at home and not stranded or helpless . I got to enjoy the rest of my stay here in US, i will really recommend anyone who love kids and also want to explore the US , it is really a great place. I will say be open minded when you come here
Susana
Feb 24,2025My experience wasn’t too bad, but the program is not a cultural exchange (in the most of the cases). The most of the families are looking to get low cost child care and they actually admit it is cheaper to have an au pair instead of having a nanny or babysitter, and that’s the main reason they “get” and au pair, but not because they are interested on having a cultural exchange 😅 No matter how good is your relationship with your HF or HK, you’ll be always a worker for them, don’t forget that 😅 so it’s better if you don’t have too much expectations