Culture Care Au Pair offers international

aide to Tigard, Beaverton homes

Visiting nannys are "part of the family"
By Kat Lynch

The Beaverton Valley Times, Aug 25, 2010, Updated Aug 25, 2010

Christopher Onstott / Times Newspapers

German au pair Catarina Koether sets a play date between folding laundry and her other
duties while keeping an eye on Milo, 2, and Kira, 8, in the Swinth family home.

Au pair is not just a fancy way to say baby sitter.

Every year the Culture Care Au Pair service places hundreds of international young men
and women with American families to provide flexible, live-in childcare. The Tigard and
Portland areas play host to nearly 50 au pairs from all around the world.

Parents enlist the aid of one of these au pairs when they want to continue to work or need
support with twins and triplets. But, what makes an au pair stand out from a nanny or a
sitter is the cultural exchange that takes place as the au pair becomes part of the family
unit.

Catarina Koether is a 19-year-old from a small town near Frankfurt, Germany, where she
recently graduated from high school. In early July, Koether joined a Southeast Portland
family as its sixth au pair. Kitty Powell and Mark Swinth’s family still keeps in touch
with all of their previous au pairs, Powell said.

“Catarina went with us to Montana a few weeks ago,” Powell said. “We invited all of our
au pairs to join us for family events.”
This summer Koether has kept busy hanging out with the four children and taking them
to piano lessons, martial arts classes and picnics in the park.

When the school year begins next month, Koether will take the children to school in the
morning and then help with homework and afterschool activities. She gets a break in the
afternoons while the children are in class.

Since both Swinth and Powell work full time, the children enjoy having an au pair in the
family.

“We get to have someone here with us whenever we need someone,” said oldest sister
Emily Swinth, 10.

Kira Swinth, 8, agreed and had more to say about the advantages of an international
family member.

“We learn simple words, or we can ask what a whole sentence is in German,” Kira added.

Personal growth

Many young adults find an au pair program in the United States in order to practice their
English, experience another culture and take a break between high school and university,
according to Culture Care au pairs.

“I wanted to improve my English and experience another country,” said Anahi Jasso of
Mexico. “I want a better future.”

On Saturday afternoon in Tigard, the care-giving group had its monthly meeting with
Culture Care advisers Melinda Biehler and Abbey Gambill, where they discussed safety
tips, college enrollment, filing taxes and shared childcare stories.

Jasmin Gruenberg of Germany recounted to her fellow au pairs how to successfully get
the children to practice saying please. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand you. Can you say
that again?”

According to Biehler, Culture Care Au Pair is just one of 12 designated sponsoring

agencies. The U.S. State Department allows au pair candidates to live and study in
exchange for 45 hours of childcare per week for a year. Regulations also require each au
pair to have a private bedroom and enroll in six credit hours of classes at an institution of
higher learning. Many of the au pairs under Biehler’s supervision take classes at a
Portland Community College campus.

“An exchange program is very expensive,” said Francielle Silva from Brazil, who has
been here for seven months. “This is very affordable, and here you can earn some
money.”

For more information about Culture Care, visit culturalcare.com.