Host families are as varied as the foreign exchange students they invite to live with them. Current host families include young couples, retirees, single parents raising teenage children, couples whose children are grown and have left home, unmarried people who have no children, professionals, white collar workers, blue collar workers and farmers. All have hosted successfully.
Host families must be able to:
- Provide the student with a home for the semester or the academic year.
- Welcome the student as a member of the family and encourage the student to participate in all aspects of family life.
- Provide a student with a personal bed and a quiet place to study. Students can share a room with a child of the same gender providing the child is within four years of the student's age.
- Provide the student with breakfast, dinner and some snacks.
- Provide transportation to and from the student’s preferred place of worship.
- Encourage the exchange of ideas and provide the student with exposure to the cultural and social environment of the home and neighborhood.
- Provide the love and understanding a young person needs to have an enjoyable and successful exchange experience.
All ECI students should be accepted as full members of a host family, with all the privileges and responsibilities of siblings in the host family. The local Coordinator must ensure that the family and the home will be a suitable environment for the student.
The most important role of the Area Coordinator is to match the student with a compatible family. Placing teens in the care of strangers far away from home is not easy, but these children want to learn, first hand, the American culture. Take this responsibility very seriously as ECI depends on your thoroughness and good judgment in screening host families. ECI knows that there is no such thing as "the perfect match" but relies on you to come as close as you can. We want only nurturing homes for our eager students.
Successful host families share common characteristics, such as strong unity and closeness among family members. They communicate well with each other and share new ideas. They also usually enjoy experiencing new ideas and ways of doing things.
Be wary of families who may have ulterior motives for hosting. Such motives may include religious recruitment, the need for a live-in babysitter, or housekeeper. Another motive may be the desire to use an outside person to try to influence a family with marital or adolescent behavior problems. Please, follow your instincts when making this assessment. Do not hesitate to evaluate any hard "evidence."
When interviewing prospective host families, ask yourself "Would I want my child to live with these people?" Pay close attention to the attitudes of family members. Try to determine indications of their motivations for hosting international students. Also ask yourself, "Can this family afford the financial burden of an active teenager?" Remember that although English must be the language spoken in the home, ECI places no restrictions on RACE, RELIGION or POLITICS in determining whether or not a family is suitable to host an exchange student.
ECI requires a Host Family Orientation for all families hosting exchange students. For families hosting students who arrive in the fall, the orientation should be held during the summer. For families hosting students who arrive in the winter, the orientation should be held in the fall.
The purpose of this of this orientation:
- Review host family responsibilities
- Prepare families for the arrival of their international students
- Insure that they have realistic expectations of the student exchange experience
Host families are encouraged to share any concerns and anxieties regarding hosting a student.
Topics of discussion:
- Family life and home responsibilities
- Communication and language problems
- Culture shock
- Program rule and regulations
- Your role as Area Coordinator
- Insurance
Your Orientation kit will be mailed to you. Your Regional Director will receive a Host Family agenda and more detailed materials closer to orientation time.