Host Family Process

Our Matching Process

Apex Social Group provides personalized guidance throughout the matching process so families can feel confident they are selecting the right candidate. After matching families with the right candidates, Apex Social Group handles all necessary travel arrangements and provides local support after the Care Professional arrives.

Family Adviser Working with Family to Assess Needs

01 Needs Assessment & Application

After your complimentary consultation, you will begin the application process that allows us to become better acquainted with you and your family. This comprehensive application allows Apex Social Group to assess the full scope of your needs so we can guide you toward the right candidates.

Child with Headphones Does Learning Exercise with Tablet and Paper

02 Personalized Care Plan

We believe in creating strong relationships with our families based on personalized service, transparency, and trust. We will outline a personalized care plan that focuses on your family’s unique needs, as well as,  identify key benefits you want to offer to attract your ideal candidate. We’ll make sure that you fully understand your family’s care plan before making a commitment, and clarify expectations right from the start.

Child Care Professional and Special Needs Child Enjoy a Day in the Park

03 Interview your Top Picks

Apex Social Group does not randomly choose candidates from a large database. Instead, we take a highly personalized approach to the selection process by getting to know each candidate and their skill sets. Consulting with our Care Professionals on a personal level helps us identify the best host family matches based on their abilities and passions.

Meeting with your top candidates during personal interviews gives you the opportunity to ask specific questions about their experiences, skills, and backgrounds. You can learn more about each Care Professional’s interests, passions, and vision for your family’s care. Our Matching Specialist  also provides guidance on the right questions to ask so all your bases are covered.

Couple on Sofa Shaking Hands With Advisor

04 Make a Match

Selecting a Care Professional is often the most exciting part of the process! Extend a job offer to your favorite candidate, agree on the terms, and you’ve made your match!

 
Closeup of a Woman's Hand Holding a Passport and Boarding Pass

05 Your Support Team

Apex Social Group will handle all the travel, arrival, and onboarding logistics with your new Care Professional. We strive to create a stress-free onboarding experience that allows you to focus more on your family. 

The Care and Development Team will make sure both you and your Care Professional are properly prepared for a truly successful and rewarding partnership.  They will also be providing consistent, ongoing support throughout our time together.

In-Home Child Care Professional Shares a High-Five with a Child

06 Welcome Your Care Professional!

Right before your Care Professional arrives a member of our Educational & Therapeutic Resources (ETR) Team will reach out to fine tune goals and strategies within your Apex Individualized Care Plan.  Once your Care Professional has arrived, the ETR team will review the AICP with them in detail so your Care Professional can begin implementing your plan right away to continue toward new milestones.   The ETR team will continue to help track progression  and co-create new developmental goals with your family.

View Candidates

Stephanie

Host Mom, CA

We are longtime customers and I can say without hesitation that we wouldn't survive without them. Each of our caregivers has been phenomenal, and a beloved member of our family. They are making our children's lives dramatically better and we hope they are part of our lives forever. We love the APEX team and deeply grateful for all they do.

Katherin

Host Mom

"Bianca was able to jump right into our routine: changing diapers, preparing gluten-free meals, shuttling to and from therapy appointments, and participating in various activities with our children. With her help over the last year, we were able to successfully toilet-train Jack, have made great progress toilet training Ben, and expect Elizabeth to follow in the steps of her siblings soon. Any parent knows that this is no small feat!"

Peter and Amy

Host Parents, San Francisco

"Luise is our fourth Care Professional through Apex Social Group and all have been special and wonderful care givers. But there is something unique about Luise. Only a couple weeks into her stay with us, she already felt like a member of the family. She is quiet, but in a warm way and she doesn’t hesitate to tell us how much she is enjoying her time here. We often joke about how we’re pinching ourselves that a Skype interview could work out so well for us all."

Daniel

Host Dad, Colorado

"We believe love is a very powerful motivator so we are excited to see our professional Care Professional’s relationship with our son evolve as she builds a personal relationship with him. Throughout this entire process, Apex Social Group has been amazing! We can’t thank you enough… Thank you again for all your hard work and for founding this company… I cannot overstate what an impact your company has made on our family!!!"

Cassandra

Host Mom, Atlanta

"I never imagined that in just 8 weeks that someone could have such a profound and positive impact on our lives. Mona, our Care Professional from Apex Social Group, has brought laughter, love, professional expertise, and her cultural traditions to our house. From her first week with us, Mona sought ways to connect with our two children, ages 6 and 2. Our six-year-old son has a rare genetic condition, which includes cognitive disabilities and developmental delays. Mona quickly identified what made our son smile and was not afraid to jump in and engage in his favorite activities. We are so thankful to have been matched with Mona."

Misa

Host Mom

"The Care Professionals that Apex Social Group finds are of the highest caliber. We get the feeling that if the Care Professional is not good enough for Susan’s family, then they are not good enough for any of her host families either. We love how her team helps hand-pick which of the girls would match best with the host family."

Luisella

Host Mom, Baltimore

"Julia gets as excited as I do when Mikey or Ella accomplishes something they’ve been working on. We really admire Julia’s dedication, work ethic, and the drive she has to help both of our kids succeed. Julia’s background as an OT has been very beneficial when I have sought advice on how to help Mikey with certain behaviors. She also works with his OT on helping generalize at home what he is learning at school."

Katherine

Host Mom, New York City

"One of the biggest strengths is the level of maturity, knowledge and concern that Apex Social Group's Special Needs Care Professional exhibit. Our Care Professional is committed to doing a great job and the occupational therapy training she received in Germany has been a godsend. I am confident that my daughter is receiving the support she needs."

Julie

Host Mom, Southern California

"Our Care Professional is exceptional. She is a pediatric nurse with infant experience. Beyond her excellent qualifications, she is also a kind, energetic, and caring person with high integrity. She takes excellent care of our kids and has become part of our family. We are grateful to Apex Social Group for finding her."

Dana

Host Mom, Maryland

"When Johanna joined our family, our son was 19 months old and had already been through three childcare providers. No one seemed able to respond to his special needs and stubborn personality in a way that would allow him to blossom. Johanna had been in our house for less than an hour when my husband and I snuck into the kitchen to slap high fives. We could already tell that she was perfect. She knew just the right way to approach our son. Our son is thriving under Johanna’s care. Thanks to Johanna’s patient work with him, he is continually developing new skills, making new sounds, and growing into his potential."

Scott

Host Dad, New Jersey

"Conny has lived with my family for over a year and has elected to continue her stay with us for an additional year. I’m a single father of 4.5-year-old twins and Conny has handled the unique challenges that we have with professionalism, love, grace and patience. My children warmed up to her immediately and she was able to establish a strong bond that has endured. Her calm yet enthusiastic demeanor has worked wonders with the kids. She never has a bad day…even when she’s having a bad day!"

Allison

Host Mom, NJ

"Apex Social Group solved our childcare problems and has allowed me to return to work full-time. With two special needs children, I was unsure I would be able to find an Care Professional with the right qualifications. But Apex Social Group put us in touch with two highly qualified candidates right away. I particularly liked being able to review information about the available Care Professional candidates online at the beginning of the selection process. I also thought the process was relatively speedy."

Katherine

Host Mom, Chicago, IL

"One of the biggest strengths is the level of maturity, knowledge and concern that their Care Professionals exhibit. Our professional special needs Care Professional is committed to doing a great job and the occupational therapy training she received in Germany has been a godsend. I am confident that my daughter is receiving the support she needs."

Teresa

Host Mom, Virginia

"Simone arrived in August. She continually entertains and works with our wheelchair bound angel, from creating projects to involve her fine motor control to exercising her daily so her spastic limbs move better. She sings traditional German folk songs while feeding our daughter, who depends entirely on caregivers to feed her as well as perform all the activities we take for granted with a child who is typical. Our lives have been blessed having this saint living here and she has totally become one of our family!"

Holly

Host Mom, San Francisco

"After working with another agency and experiencing a challenging year with our first Care Professional, we switched to Apex Social Group. We are thrilled with our current Care Professional and feel that only now is our family experiencing the true spirit of the Care Professional program. Janina is like part of our family and we never would have found her if it weren’t for Apex Social Group.

Peter

Host Dad, San Francisco

"Our family had been hosting Care Professionals for 4 years through another agency before switching to Apex Social Group this year. While I believe every Care Professional experience depends almost entirely on the interaction of the Care Professional and the host family, my impression is that Apex Social Group does a better job vetting their candidates, and their matching coordinators are more familiar with each individual candidate. This allows them to provide more useful assistance in finding a good match."

Hillary

Host Mom, Washington D.C.

"The best part about Kati is something we never could have known from her application – she is always smiling and happy. She leaves everyone around her in a good mood. She is cheerful, joyful, and –important for our family – funny too! She can dance, play, and be a role model. She connects with our 10, 8, and 6 year olds. They can’t get enough of her. We truly love her and she will forever remain part of our family."

Sharon

Host Mom, San Francisco

"Svenja our Educator from Germany joined our family 6 months ago and it is sometimes hard to remember what life was like without her. My son has a sensory processing disorder and behavior problem and she has remarkable patience with him but also has been helping him simultaneously with coping strategies as well as course correction for behaviors. Her approach is firm but kind and my son adores her. She is also confident enough to point out where I was enabling him, possibly making things worse, and did it in a way that felt non-threatening - just kind and well intentioned."

Claudia

Host Mom, Dallas

"Sarah never tired of wanting to know how we do things, why we do things this way, and even why we don’t do them the other way. She wanted to understand so that she could make the most of her time with the kids, and not just be someone watching the kids. This is one of the reasons we wanted to have a professional Care Professional, so that there would be meaningful interaction with our children with lots of fun, yet structure. Sarah’s background as a kindergarten teacher with special needs experience was perfect for choosing activities for our children, whether it was raining or 100 degrees outside."

Lesley

Host Mom, Maryland

"Mateja came to us as an Care Professional back in February, taking a break from her work as a pediatric nurse in Austria. Very soon after she arrived though, she became part of our family, a younger sister to us and an aunt to our children. That is really the only way to label our relationship. Mateja has bonded with our family and provided such outstanding care to our children, going above and beyond, through efforts that could only come from a place of deep and genuine affection."

Vacelia

Host Mom, Florida

"Sarah is very kind, gentle and has a positive attitude. She is very knowledgeable and works very hard to care for our son. Our son has cerebral palsy: he is non-verbal, visually impaired and does not walk on his own. He requires full care. Sarah never complains and she has won his heart. She has meshed into our family like we have known her a million years. I cannot say enough about Sarah. She is an excellent representation of what an Apex Social Group should be. We are first time users of Apex Social Group and due to Sarah we will continue as long as possible. She is more then we had ever hoped for."

Host Family Requirements

Apex Social Group operates under high standards of service and complies with all governing agency requirements.. The U.S. Department of State requires that families meet the following specific requirements as a condition of participating in Apex Social Group’s program:

  • Both parents must be U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents (green card holders)
  • Speak English as the primary language in the family home
  • Provide the Care Professional with a comfortable, private bedroom
  • Provide two personal references and employment verification
  • Have the financial resources to cover expenses associated with hosting a Care Professional
  • Have an in-home interview with a local Apex Social Group Area Director
  • Agree to comply with all Department of State guidelines
  • Live within a 1-hour driving time of the home of an Apex local representative. Please contact Apex directly to confirm your eligibility.
  • Have all adult members of the family successfully pass a criminal background check
  • Welcome the Care Professional as a family member
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