Oceanside Family Opens Home And Heart to AuPair From Germany

OCEANSIDE, CA — Rachel Silva is a busy single mom living in Oceanside and raising two kids with help from an au pair from Germany. How these two women came together and formed a new definition of family is truly heartwarming.

Flashback a couple of years ago when Rachel was on the verge of graduating to become a Respiratory Therapist. While researching daycare options for her two young children, Rachel came upon the AuPairCare website and discovered that hosting an au pair would not only provide her with live-in childcare but would do so for less cost than sending her kids to day care.

After hosting two other au pairs that were not quite a perfect fit for her family, Rachel matched with Jonna Thormann from Hamburg Germany.

Jonna's path to the Silva family was also one of discovery. After graduating from high school, Jonna was not sure what she wanted to do with her life, but was interested in travel, furthering her education and, after having worked at a kindergarten for a time, she also discovered she enjoyed working with kids.

As with Rachel, Jonna found herself researching the internet to find something that would match all of her interests, which led her to the AuPairCare program. Jonna was initially placed with a family in Wisconsin for six months, but the baby needed more specialized care. This led to Jonna being re-matched, this time with Rachel's family in March. Things have gone so well that Jonna's term has been extended with the Silva's for an additional six months.

"I cannot stress how important it is to find a good fit within the au pair program." says Rachel. " Jonna engaged immediately with our family and is so close to my kids that in just a short time has become a part of our family, too."

Ultimately the au pair program is a cultural exchange program, and it's important that host families allow the au pair to experience the culture of their new surroundings and be able to explore on their own and find their own work/life balance. This is crucial when they are living where they work for such long periods of time.

Rachel provides a vehicle for Jonna to have a sense of independence while living with the family and Jonna is now taking geography classes at Mira Costa while the Silva kids are in school.

Rachel has also found time to take Jonna exploring, and they recently took a day trip to the Joshua Tree area, where Jonna got to visit the desert for the first time and see the brilliant starlit skies at night.

Rachel and Jonna have become so close that Rachel is planning a trip to Germany next year to do a train tour of Europe with her boyfriend, and they have invited Jonna to join them. It's clear that the bond formed with Rachel and her kids will last well beyond Jonna's time as an au pair.

Rachel says, "Jonna has been instrumental to the success of my children’s growth and development from the moment she joined our family. I have such peace of mind knowing that when I step out of our home, my children are safe and in great care. Jonna’s warm, engaging, kind and funny personality is so refreshing and genuine. We must be the luckiest host family in the entire Au Pair Program. It’s sometimes difficult to remember we’re even part of a program, as Jonna is family and can’t imagine having to say goodbye when she returns to Germany, but our family will be all the better for having shared this incredible experience with her. Thank you APC and especially to Jonna’s family for raising such a wonderful person."

Lorilynne Shusta is the AuPairCare Area Director for North San Diego County and provides local support to host families and au pairs participating in the live-in childcare program. "I have the pleasure of experiencing the powerful connection between American host families and their au pairs from overseas first-hand. I met host mom Rachel a year ago when she was new to the au pair program. During our host family interview, I could tell that she would be a great fit because she was not only looking for flexible and reliable childcare but also someone she could consider another family member as well. Hosting an au pair is like adding an international branch to your family tree. Many host families develop lifelong friendships with their au pairs and keep in regular touch with them. I can tell that this is definitely the case for Jonna and the Silva family."

AuPairCare is a leading au pair agency providing live-in childcare services to American families since 1989. AuPairCare is a federally run program and is designated by the U.S. Department of State. As a premier au pair agency, AuPairCare combines quality childcare and cultural exchange, bringing the world into American homes. AuPairCare has matched more than 80,000 au pairs with American families across the U.S. AuPairCare is a division of Intrax, a family of organizations that provide a lifetime of high quality educational, work, and volunteer programs that connect people and cultures. Intrax is headquartered in San Francisco with offices on four continents. For more information about AuPairCare, call 800.428.7247 or visit http://www.aupaircare.com

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