Discover your ideal au pair in Los Angeles

Au pairs can provide up to 45 hours of childcare per week (with a maximum of 10 hours per day), but you don’t have to use all of those hours. Many families use an au pair for part-time coverage that fills specific gaps—like before and after school, a few full days each week, or coverage that changes week to week.

Au pair childcare can be especially helpful if:

• You need support during “in-between” hours (early mornings, afternoons, evenings, or occasional weekends)

• Your schedule shifts regularly and you want built-in flexibility

• You want consistent care from one trusted person instead of juggling multiple sitters

• You could use help with child-related tasks during on-duty time, like kids’ meals, laundry, and tidying

That said, because au pairs live in your home and you’re committing to the full program cost (plus room and board), they tend to make the most sense when you need full-time support.

The estimated annual cost of our Los Angeles au pair program starts at $21,424, or about $1,785 per month. The average price to host an au pair in LA is calculated by adding the program fee paid to Cultural Care Au Pair ($11,245) and the minimum weekly stipend paid directly to the au pair ($195.75 per week, totaling $10,179 per year).

As a host family, you should also factor in additional costs related to room and board, insurance (if applicable), contributions toward your au pair’s Education Requirement, and any other “extras” that will help make your au pair’s time in the U.S. more enjoyable. Host families typically find the cost of hosting an au pair to be comparable or even less expensive than daycare or nannies, especially in Los Angeles.

Yes! Au pairs can care for multiple children as long as the schedule stays within program limits: up to 45 hours/week and 10 hours/day and their ability to watch is good for child development and safety.

And more importantly, the cost of hosting an au pair does not increase based on the number of children they care for. Unlike daycare (where you pay per child) or many nanny setups (where rates may rise with additional kids), the price to host an au pair in LA is the same whether you have one child or several—making it especially cost-effective for larger families.

Our au pair childcare services selects candidates that are 18–26 years old. If you're looking to find an au pair in Los Angeles, it's important to remember that age can sometimes be correlated to maturity, but personality, experience, and expectations matter much more. When it comes to childcare and living with kids in Los Angeles, two things tend to matter more than age:

• Driving comfort
  In LA, driving is a big part of most au pair roles. A 20-year-old can be a confident driver, and a 26-year-old can be a nervous driver—so look at real driving experience, not just age.

• Independence
  A big city like L.A. gives au pairs a lot of freedom and social options. Talk early about curfew/house rules, car use, guests, and how you’ll communicate schedule changes—those are often bigger indicators of maturity than birth year.

Before your au pair arrives, it helps to get aligned on the few things that shape day-to-day life: your weekly schedule (including any early mornings, evenings, weekends, or split shifts), driving expectations (how often they’ll drive, what kind of driving, and car-use rules), and your house rules around things like curfew, guests, shared spaces, and phone use while on duty. Finally, a set plan for communication—like a weekly check-in—is a great idea so feedback and schedule changes feel normal and not stressful.