Dear future match,

We are very excited to work with and get to know our future au pair. First, we would like to introduce our family.

We are the s. Mom (Nina) works as an elementary school teacher. Dad (Christian) is a boat builder. We live on a beautiful, small island that doubles as a popular summer resort community. Although Shelter Island is a destination outside of NYC (about 2 hours), it is a unique community that is a special place to raise a family. We have 3 children. Mackenzie is our oldest daughter. She is 18 and is attending college. Occasionally, she will visit on weekends or holidays. Our youngest boys are Adrian (AJ), age 4.5, and Henry (18 months). As a school teacher, our work week would typically follow the standard school week (Monday-Friday) with most weekends free. We are looking for a reliable person that is caring and nurturing, yet also energetic enough to keep up with two very busy boys!

Our home is located on a family ‘farm’ in a quiet neighborhood. We have two small Boston Terriers. Our neighbors have horses and we have a peacock! There are trails and paths between homes and into the woods. We spend a lot of time walking, playing outside, and even gardening. Our children love to help in the garden, ride bikes, and play outside. In the warmer months, we have beaches, boating, paddleboarding, and more. The winter months, even when there is less to do outside, we are involved in play groups and other indoor activities, like visiting the aquarium. Sometimes, after working all week, weekend fun looks like a day of shopping, even if its mostly just groceries! We strongly value family and our time together.

Currently, AJ goes to school and is out of the home from 8 until about 4pm. A grandparent drives AJ most days; however, we are looking for an au pair that would be able to drive with the children occasionally. Most days, childcare responsibilities would just be for Henry. Our priority is to have someone engaging with him, supporting his developmental milestones such as language development and motor skills. After school, we have a bit of time to play as a family and we always try to eat dinner together. We would love to include you in family dinners as a way to share about your day; but, of course would respect your personal time as well.

We are so fortunate that much of our extended family lives nearby. We are able to enjoy large family gatherings. An ideal candidate would be supportive of grandparents coming around regularly. We are finishing our year hosting our first au pair. We have learned how important communication and respect is, especially when handling challenges. However, we have a lot of support and we would want our au pair to feel like they have a lot of people willing to help fit in and learn about our family and community.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone that will mesh well with our family, someone that wants to have fun and engage with the little ones. We try to limit TV as much as possible and hope to find an au pair that is ready to take initiative in active playing. The boys love building, playing, and even reading. Our hope is that we find someone to love and care for our children during the times when we can’t be there. We would love for them to have the opportunity to learn about you, your culture and your language as well.

We are looking forward to this experience, living and working together as a family. We would love to get to know you more.

Sincerely,
Nina & Christian