I would like to respond to this blog not only as a previous LCC (Local Childcare Coordinator) but also as a previous host mom.  Yes, I did have a few good au pairs through this company, 3 that have truly become part of my family - but that had nothing to do with CCAP.  In the time I was an LCC with CCAP, I had a few terrible experiences myself with au pairs, including one that hit & pushed my daughter causing her to fall into a wall.  The AuPair denied it completely, but my husband was home & upstairs when it occurred.  The au pair thought he was asleep as he was working nights that week.  Even as an LCC with the company expressing this Au Pair should not be placed with a new family, she was placed with 2 other families after me.

As far a working for the company, the only thing they care about is sales and money.  Every meeting is about how you can sell more families the au pair program.  In fact their "National Meetings" aren't really meetings for training - if that was the case you wouldn't have to sell so many families the program & place an au pair with that family within a certain time period to attend.  If it were truly training meetings, all LCC's would be able to attend.  Same with their "International Adventures" - again a tactic to get LCC's to sell the program.  You bring in so many families within a time frame, you get a trip Internationally with all the other LCC's that brought in new families.  And it's a big adventure vacation at the expense of the families.  The whole catch to these "incentives" are an au pair has to be "in the home" by a certain date - so they match anyone with anyone and convince you this is the best option out there for your family. 

The au pairs shouldn't be blamed for everything, they are lied to in their countries.  When asked at one meeting about the au pairs saying they are told to lie about smoking on their applications, we were told "They aren't told to lie on their applications, they are told most American families do not like smokers" - in other words .... lie so you get a family.

The allegations of the references being family members is true - many of the applications I have seen always have a family member as a reference.  And for the "Infant Qualified" au pairs, they are told to go volunteer or get a job at a day care center that has babies under 2.  They are not necessarily caring for an infant on their own in a home and doing all the diaper changes and feedings on their own.

As for the AU PAIR OF THE YEAR AWARD.....it has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COMPANY !!!  They are picked by IAPA by letters and videos send in by the HOST FAMILY !  So any au pair had the opportunity to win the au pair of the year award simply by doing a great job, and letting their host family know about the "contest".  You can't win if your host family doesn't send in a letter or video.

Cultural Care Au Pair only cares about selling new families the program, then fighting you to give a refund if you ask for it.  Even as an employee I was robbed of over $2,000 from a refund I deserved ! 

Families should really request their own background checks on au pairs, and au pairs should request background checks on the families.....the families background check is the LCC calling their references and simply asking if they think the family should be allowed to host an au pair. The English level testing is also different in each country - they have people checking their English that usually can't speak it well themselves....host families - read the comments on the evaluation, does it look like it's written by someone that can speak & write English well?  That will give you an idea of what their English is really like.  And yes, some au pairs have their friends do the phone interview that speak better English then them so they can match with you to get here.

I left the company after deciding I could no longer take the mistreatment of families and au pairs by their tactics.