In the shaky economy it can be scary to dive into a year-long childcare commitment, but that is exactly what thousands of local families are doing.

Au pairs get minimum wage in exchange for room and board, but the agency fees for au pairs run about $7,000 a year. Before the current recession, if a parent lost a job and had to give up their au pair, they'd lose those upfront fees. Not anymore.

While Krysti Zeiger was still pregnant with her son, she knew she wanted an au pair. She loved the idea of live-in childcare for her firstborn child, though she couldn't ignore the reality of a recession.

"I work for the construction industry so you just never know. We're definitely looking at a downsize in work," Zeiger said.

Job loss fears made Zeiger's husband nervous about signing up for an au pair. Precisely why the agency they chose provided them with a peace of mind guarantee.

"When she put that in front of him he was like 'OK! Sold!' That's all it took. He was like 'Oh! We can get our money back?' Krysti Zeiger said.

Like the Zeigers, Brenda Sonneveldt {sohn-ih-velt} is using Cultural Care Au Pair. The agency's new policy of refunding money in the event a parent loses a job appealed to the wife of a banker.

"He's in sales; he could lose his job at any time," Sonneveldt said.

Sonneveldt felt good about committing to another year because the guarantee also means a family can keep its au pair while getting the refund, allowing a parent to job hunt without having childcare interrupted.

"I hate to create all this excitement, have the au pair come over, and then have to turn them away," Sonneveldt said.

Parents call it a way to recession-proof their childcare, giving them some comfort in an uncomfortable job market.

Au pair in America representatives say under certain job status situations, they will also refund a families' agency fees, while Au Pair USA says it already has a strong existing refund policy and cautions prospective families to read any agency's fine print.

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