Professional au pair and host family requirements PROaupair

Host Family Requirements

PROaupair has many different types of families participating in our programs. The U.S. Department of State requires that families meet these specific requirements as a condition of participating in Apex PROaupair's program:

Have both parents be U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents (greencard holders)
Speak English as the primary language in the family home
Provide the professional au pair with a comfortable, private bedroom
Provide two personal references and employment verification
Have the financial resources to cover expenses associated with hosting a professional au pair
Have an in-home interview with a local Apex PROaupair Area Director
Agree to comply with all Department of State guidelines
Live within a 1 hours driving time of the home of an Apex local representative. Please contact Apex directly to confirm your eligibility.
Have all adult members of the family successfully pass a criminal background check
Welcome the professional au pair as a family member

For a complete overview of program regulations, please contact an PROaupair Program Advisor at 844-787-6566.

What Makes
Apex Different? Our Mission: Empowering families & children with special needs and infants to reach their full potential.

We provide: international, live-in professional childcare, developmental support resources & cultural exchange, through a customized intake process.
Apex Care Professionals are mindfully recruited through our long-standing relationships with educational institutions in Germany. This process ensures our families receive the highest quality of talented care providers.
More specifically, our Care Professionals have degrees and/or experience in fields such as: pediatric nursing, occupational and physical therapy, early childhood education and more
Apex American Professional Exchange is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 Visa sponsor.
We are your partner in this journey, and we are here to empower your family to: achieve, succeed and thrive!!

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What Our Families
are Saying

Claudia

Host Mom in Dallas

"Sarah never tired of wanting to know how we do things, why we do things this way, and even why we don’t do them the other way. She wanted to understand so that she could make the most of her time with the kids, and not just be someone watching the kids. This is one of the reasons we wanted to have a professional au pair, so that there would be meaningful interaction with our children with lots of fun, yet structure. Sarah’s background as a kindergarten teacher with special needs experience was perfect for choosing activities for our children, whether it was raining or 100 degrees outside."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Vacelia

Host Mom in Florida

"Sarah is very kind, gentle and has a positive attitude. She is very knowledgeable and works very hard to care for our son. Our son has cerebral palsy: he is non-verbal, visually impaired and does not walk on his own. He requires full care. Sarah never complains and she has won his heart. She has meshed into our family like we have known her a million years. I cannot say enough about Sarah. She is an excellent representation of what an Apex PROaupair should be. We are first time users of Apex PROaupair and due to Sarah we will continue as long as possible. She is more then we had ever hoped for."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Lesley

Host Mom in Maryland

"Mateja came to us as an au pair back in February, taking a break from her work as a pediatric nurse in Austria. Very soon after she arrived though, she became part of our family, a younger sister to us and an aunt to our children. That is really the only way to label our relationship. Mateja has bonded with our family and provided such outstanding care to our children, going above and beyond, through efforts that could only come from a place of deep and genuine affection."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Peter

Host Dad in San Francisco

"Our family had been hosting au pairs for 4 years through another agency before switching to Apex PROaupair this year. While I believe every au pair experience depends almost entirely on the interaction of the au pair and the host family, my impression is that Apex PROaupair does a better job vetting their candidates, and their matching coordinators are more familiar with each individual candidate. This allows them to provide more useful assistance in finding a good match."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Hillary

Host Mom in Washington D.C.

"The best part about Kati is something we never could have known from her application – she is always smiling and happy. She leaves everyone around her in a good mood. She is cheerful, joyful, and –important for our family – funny too! She can dance, play, and be a role model. She connects with our 10, 8, and 6 year olds. They can’t get enough of her. We truly love her and she will forever remain part of our family."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Teresa

Host Mom in Virginia

"Simone arrived in August. She continually entertains and works with our wheelchair bound angel, from creating projects to involve her fine motor control to exercising her daily so her spastic limbs move better. She sings traditional German folk songs while feeding our daughter, who depends entirely on caregivers to feed her as well as perform all the activities we take for granted with a child who is typical. Our lives have been blessed having this saint living here and she has totally become one of our family!"

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What Our Families
are Saying

Sharon

Host Mom in San Francisco

"Svenja joined our family in June 2015 and it is sometimes hard to remember what life was like without her. My son has a sensory processing disorder and behavior problem and she has remarkable patience with him but also has been helping him simultaneously with coping strategies as well as course correction for behaviors. Her approach is firm but kind and my son adores her. She is also confident enough to point out where I was enabling him, possibly making things worse, and did it in a way that felt non-threatening - just kind and well intentioned."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Holly

Host Mom in San Francisco

"After working with another agency and experiencing a challenging year with our first au pair, we switched to Apex PROaupair. We are thrilled with our current au pair and feel that only now is our family experiencing the true spirit of the au pair program. Janina is like part of our family and we never would have found her if it weren’t for Apex PROaupair."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Laxmi

Host Mom in Atlanta

"We have two boys with special needs, one with high functioning autism and one with ADHD. I have always had female nannies or babysitters but given the boys ages (9 and 11) I decided to choose a male au pair. I am pleased to say that Marcel is a wonderful au pair from Germany. His thousands of hours of training and education with at risk youth in Germany proved itself in our house. His approach to the boys helped curtail the behavioral issues my boys were having. We had tried therapists and counselors with little effect but live in help with Marcel's loving but no nonsense approach did the trick."

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What Our Families
are Saying

Katherine

Host Mom from Chicago, IL

"One of the biggest strengths is the level of maturity, knowledge and concern that their au pairs exhibit. Our professional special needs au pair is committed to doing a great job and the occupational therapy training she received in Germany has been a godsend. I am confident that my daughter is receiving the support she needs."

Ready To Get Started?

1
Review pre-screened candidates below and add your favorites to your “Hotlist.”
2
Create your Host Family Profile so that you can view candidate profiles, and so we understand your exact needs, enabling us to help you find the right Care Professional for your family.
3
Schedule a No-Obligation Childcare Consultation with us to discuss your family’s situation and needs.
4
Interview your favorite candidate(s)
5
Make your final Care Professional selection
6
Your au pair will arrive based on a mutually agreed upon date. Apex will manage the visa process, schedule all international and domestic flights, and obtain health insurance for your au pair.