Jordan: Increase childcare access to mitigate cost-of-living challenges for families

America’s childcare crisis is an ever-pressing reality increasingly affecting the middle class — stretching the wallets of families and slowing the country’s economic growth.

Rising costs and growing wait lists for daycare centers and nannies make it harder for families to secure reliable and affordable childcare. In this challenging landscape, unique solutions such as the federal au pair program stand out as potential lifelines for families scrambling to access trusted childcare.

The Modernize the Au Pair Program Act recognizes the value of protecting and advancing the au pair program to ensure more families can access a childcare solution and enriching cultural exchange opportunities.

Data highlights the reality of the childcare crisis for many Americans and the longer-term implications of a lack of access to care. The KPMG professional services firm found that the cost of daycare and preschool rose nearly twice the pace of overall inflation between 1991 and 2024. A recent Pew Research Center study found that, among adults under 50 who are unlikely to have children, 36% of respondents cited the unaffordable cost of raising a child as a significant deterrent. In failing to address these barriers to childcare, we are risking a future where the American dream of raising a family becomes unattainable for many.

For many families, finding trusted and affordable childcare is essential for maintaining stable employment, putting food on the table, and ensuring children can grow and learn in a safe environment. However, the lack of access to such care forces parents to make tough decisions, often affecting their ability to work, provide for their families and seek additional education or career opportunities.

The federal au pair program provides families with a unique childcare option while offering valuable and lasting cultural exchange experiences. An au pair is a young person from abroad who joins an American family on a J-1 visa for up to two years of meaningful cultural exchange.

Au pairs become extended members of their host families and provide limited childcare to the host children while also completing college courses. While living under the same roof for up to two years, the au pair and hosting family participate in unique and immersive cultural exchange — learning about recipes, songs, holidays and traditions from each other’s cultures.

A recent media intelligence survey conducted by American Families for Cultural Exchange found that affordability and cultural exchange were the primary reasons host families chose or considered the au pair program.

Despite clear and tangible benefits for American families and our nation, the au pair program cannot expand due to a moratorium on growth . The moratorium halts any designation of new program sponsors or growth in the number of families and au pairs from existing sponsors beyond 2019 participation. At a time when families are struggling to access and afford flexible childcare options, one solution that could be a lifeline for many more, including teachers and military families, has been taken off the table.

The au pair program provides vital support for single parents, first responders and many other middle-class families. In families where one or both parents work on-call hours or have non-traditional schedules, having an au pair in the home and being able to provide flexible care ensures that children are safe and alleviates stress caused by a dash to find last-minute care. Expanding the flexible and cost-effective au pair program could help these families bridge a vast gap in our country’s childcare system — and experts agree .

More than 29,000 American families host an au pair — realizing the benefits of this unique cultural exchange experience that delivers value well beyond the needs of affordable childcare. The au pair program operates at no cost to taxpayers while advancing American interests in national security, diplomatic relations and easing the burden on families.

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle should work to advance the MAP Act to protect a valuable public diplomacy tool and put an accessible childcare option on the table for more families — because access to affordable care is not a partisan issue; it’s an American issue. Enabling growth and meaningful modernization of the au pair program can ensure that its unique cultural exchange opportunities and childcare support can be an option for more middle-class American families while representing U.S. interests at home and abroad.

Editor’s note: Natalie Jordan is senior vice president at Cultural Care Au Pair , a designated sponsor of the State Department-regulated au pair program. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org .