In their family's Shadyside kitchen, Caroline Yu, 11, and her sister, Amanda, 7, gabbed about their favorite classes, books and hobbies.

As she spooned honey out of a jar to accompany their snack of apple slices, Stephanie Jay, 21, their Australian au pair, listened and laughed, having no trouble keeping up with their quick chatter. Jay forces herself to speak a little more slowly.

“They say I say words differently,” she said with a smile. “I've taught them some Australian slang.”

Au pairs, who travel to the United States on a visa to provide child care, are growing in popularity, in part because of rising costs of traditional child care, industry insiders say. The number of applications nationwide agency Cultural Care Au Pair received to host au pairs is up more than 50 percent in Pennsylvania since this time last year, according to Melissa Fredette, vice president for the Cambridge, Mass.-based agency.

“We've seen a 20 percent increase across the country in families welcoming au pairs in the summer, our busiest season, in time for the start of school. That trend is somewhat higher in Pennsylvania,” she said.

A study released last month by Child Care Aware of America, an Arlington, Va.-based national association of resource and referral agencies, shows the state ranks among the highest in the nation for day care expenses. Two-parent families with a 4-year-old child pay 10.5 percent of the state median income for child care, making Pennsylvania the 15th most-expensive state.

According to the study, in 2011, families paid an average of $19,092 a year to put two children —one infant and one 4-year-old — in full-time day care.

Diane Barber, director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, attributes those costs to stringent state regulations for child care providers.

“It costs more to do quality,” she said. “For example, in Mississippi the base requirements are much lower, so the costs are much lower.”

To combat costs, some parents in Western Pennsylvania are seeking alternatives to traditional day care. Susie Gross, local child care coordinator with Cultural Care Au Pair, said there are about 50 au pairs in Western Pennsylvania.

Au pairs earn $195.75 a week, per federal mandate — about $10,000 a year.

“It does, economically, work out beneficially,” Gross said.

The U.S. Department of State regulates au pair programs. Au pairs must be 18 to 26 years old, have graduated from secondary school and speak English. Other requirements cover background checks and child care training.

Most au pairs come for a year and can extend their visas up to two years. They can work up to 45 hours a week.

“People really like the cultural experience of having someone live in their home,” Gross said.

That was the top priority for Julia Kaufmann when selecting a caregiver for her three children, Caroline, Amanda and son Alexander, 10. Jay has been with the family for 18 months and is preparing to leave. She's helping her replacement, Frauke Langer, 19, of Germany, ease into her new role.

“I always wanted to go to another country and get to know the way of life,” Langer said.

Langer will be the fourth au pair for the family. Kaufmann, who works full-time as a management consultant to banks, appreciates the flexibility au pairs provide.

“Au pairs work on a schedule that works with your family's rhythm,” she said. “They are off-the-clock when the children are at school and back on when they need taken care of.”

Rachel Weaver is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-320-7948 or rweaver@tribweb.com.

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