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This year's Au Pair of the Year theme asks a simple question: when did you stop being a guest and start being family?
For Sara from Italy and her Nashville host family, that moment came almost immediately. Not because of a single grand gesture, but because of the way she showed up every single day with maturity, grace, and an open heart.
When Sara arrived in August 2024, her host mom was overwhelmed, stretched thin, and carrying more than she could manage. Within days of Sara stepping through the door, everything shifted.
"From the moment she stepped into our home, it felt as though a massive weight lifted off my shoulders," her host mom recalls. "She embraced our family—our strengths, our challenges, and our chaos—with maturity, grace, and an open heart. I don't remember what life was like before her."
That's why we're thrilled to announce Sara as our 2026 Au Pair of the Year. Her story captures the transformative power of opening your heart to cultural exchange and embracing a family as your own.
When a stranger becomes family
Sara didn't just adapt to the household. She transformed it.
She became an older sibling to the children, planning thoughtful crafts, making special Italian desserts, and planting a garden in the backyard so they could learn and grow alongside her. She taught them basic Italian phrases. She noticed things, like small changes in behavior or big feelings that needed gentleness.
When the three-year-old needed potty training support, Sara stepped in. When the oldest child's sensory needs required extra research and understanding, Sara wanted to learn.
"She shows up for them not as an employee, but as a loving member of our parenting team," her host mom explains. "She has become an older sibling to them, someone they adore and trust deeply."
More than childcare
With her host dad frequently on the road as a touring musician, Sara became a steady presence for the entire family. She's a friend, a teammate, a cheerleader. She checks in on her host mom. She attends her host dad's shows and celebrates his milestones. She fills the home with laughter and stability.
"During those stretches, she has been a steady presence—my friend, my teammate, my cheerleader, and often a second parent to our children," her host mom says.
This is what makes the au pair program different from other childcare options. Yes, au pairs provide up to 45 hours of flexible childcare per week, helping with school pickups, meal prep, children's laundry, and transportation. But also, au pairs like Sara bring something that goes far beyond a schedule: genuine care, cultural richness, and the kind of support that transforms a household.
A ripple effect of kindness
Sara's impact extends well beyond her own host family. She goes out of her way to welcome new au pairs to Nashville, helping them feel connected and supported in a new city.
Watching Sara care for others inspired her host mom so profoundly that she decided to become a Local Childcare Consultant (LCC) this year.
"I want other families to experience the joy she has brought into our lives, and I want new au pairs to feel as seen and supported as she makes everyone around her feel. She is the reason I believe in this program."
The cultural exchange in their home is rich and authentic. Sara's family has visited from Italy for weeks at a time. They all celebrated Thanksgiving together this year, blending traditions and creating new memories across continents.
"The cultural exchange she brings into our home is rich, authentic, and deeply meaningful," her host mom shares. "Her shoes will be impossible to fill."
Why Sara is Au Pair of the Year
Sara embodies everything Cultural Care represents: connection, curiosity, growth, family, and wholehearted cultural exchange. She strengthens families, welcomes newcomers, and brings warmth to every space she enters.
Her host mom calls her "our Au Pair of the Century."
We call her extraordinary.
Congratulations, Sara. Thank you for showing us what's possible when you open your heart to cultural exchange and embrace a family as your own.
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