The Barrea Family, California
The Barrera family of California and their au pair Paulina decided to extend their program year together for an additional 12 months. Paulina is an au pair from Mexico and is taking care of the Barrera’s two young girls. She worked as a daycare assistant and babysitter before coming to the U.S. with Cultural Care Au Pair, and her future goal is to become a nurse.
Why did you decide to extend together?
Patricia and Jose:
“There was no question as to whether we wanted to extend our year with her: a resounding ‘YES!’ from the whole family.”
Paulina:
“For me, my family is a great match. I feel at home and the kids and I are growing every day as a team. We had such an amazing year that I decided to stay a second year.”
Paulina:
How do you share your culture with your host family?
I’m from Mexico and I teach a lot of Spanish to my little girls. They are getting to know two languages and that is very cool. Every day that I’m here means I’m improving my English too which makes me very proud.
What is an au pair…to you?
An au pair is…
“…part caregiver, part big sister, part tutor, part friend. Paulina is someone we can depend on to be there in the morning when the kids get up and someone who can help us tuck them in at night. There is nothing she won’t tackle to help our children get the most out of life.”
- Patricia and Jose Barrera, Cultural Care host parents to Paulina
An au pair is…
“…someone who takes care of me. My au pair is from Mexico. Her room is right next to mine!”
- Alexis Barrera, 3-year-old Cultural Care host child
An au pair is…
“…a person who wants to be part of an American family and loves kids.”
- Paulina Tostado-Torres, Cultural Care au pair
An au pair is…
“…a brave young woman (or man!) who leaves family and friends for a year to live the dream of becoming part of an American host family. Working with my group of au pairs has given me the utmost respect for people like Paulina who take on this awesome responsibility.”
- Sandi Bohner, Cultural Care local childcare coordinator to the Barrera family and Paulina