Truman Neighborhood Association

Exchange Student program

Would you like to host a foreign exchange student

Are you are one of those special American families prepared to open your home to an exchange student? Review all the steps in the process, and you can discover exactly what is involved.

Check out the credentials of the exchange organization.
When you choose to host an ASPECT Foundation student, you are in good hands. ASPECT Foundation operates in full compliance with Federal Regulations and industry standards. We are happy to comply with these guidelines, because they exist for the safety of our students and for the support of our host families.

Talk it over with your family.
Choosing to host an exchange student is a family decision. Talk it over. Make sure each member of the extended family, from grandparents to toddlers, feels that they are a part of this important decision. Hosting an exchange student will be the most unforgettable year of your family's life!

Call 1-800-US YOUTH.
Our national office will put you in touch with the nearest ASPECT Foundation coordinator, who will set up an appointment to answer all of your questions about hosting a student at your home. To get a headstart on the process send us this simple Host Family Pre-Application Form.

Complete the Host Family Application.
ASPECT Foundation's host families can be single people or married people, couples, with or without children, who want to provide a loving home for an exchange student, complete with family meals. Each family fills out a detailed application, with information about family members, pets, daily routines, interests and lifestyle. You will also be asked to provide at least two family photos and three personal references.

Review Student Profiles during your coordinator's visit.
When the local ASPECT Foundation coordinator visits your home, every member of your family should be there to share both their enthusiasm and their concerns. The coordinator may show you a few student profiles, carefully selected to correspond with the interests and lifestyle of your family. The coordinator will also want to see your pets, and to take a tour of your home. If you have specific questions about how hosting can work with your teenagers or small children, the coordinator can arrange for you to speak with an experienced host parent. Many coordinators have hosted students themselves, so they are well equipped to explain the joys of hosting an exchange student.

Choose your Student, and receive their Letters and Photo Album.
Once you are approved as a host family and select your new son or daughter, he or she will receive information about your family, including your original family photos. At the same time, you will receive your student's complete application, with letters from the student and the student's parents, and a photo album prepared by your student. You will also receive a small gift and a Host Family Handbook to answer all the questions that might come up during your student's stay. You should then write to your student by mail or email, or call to say hello. You will receive notification of your student's arrival time just as soon as flights are booked.

Attend the Orientation and meet other Host Families
Prior to your student's arrival, your local coordinator will organize a Host Family Orientation meeting, where you will receive important information about ASPECT Foundation policies regarding students and host families. This is also your opportunity to meet other host families in the area, and to share your excitement as the day of arrival approaches. Being a host parent will make you many new friends, not only from other countries, but also from your own hometown!

Greet your new family member at the local airport.
Finally the big day is here! You and your family meet your student at the local airport. Your local coordinator is often there too, as are other host families if the students arrive in a group. The first few days are a whirlwind of excitement, fun and adventure as you and your student get to know each other. Everything takes on new meaning as you see your typical American life through your student's eyes...

Enjoy the most unforgettable year in your family's life.
The year flies by. It is a year of firsts: first day of American school, first American friendship, first peanut butter sandwich, first youth group, first Thanksgiving, first prom. Exchange students really grow up during this special year. As the host family, you play an important role in helping the student become a young adult. Your family will also grow this year, by learning about a different culture, and learning to accept and love a new family member. Your ASPECT Foundation coordinator will keep in touch with you throughout the exchange year, hosting get-togethers and mandatory orientations for students and families, and simply checking-in from time to time to see how you are enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Say good-bye to your student, having gained a friend for life.
All too soon, it's time to say good-bye. Your local ASPECT Foundation coordinator will host a pre-departure orientation, to help you and your student share the many mixed emotions you will have: love, gratitude, happiness, sadness... and most of all wonder -- at the process that brought a stranger to your home nine months ago, who now leaves as a lifelong friend. You will want to make plans to visit, to meet your student's other family, and to keep in touch. Many of our host parents travel overseas to attend their student's high school graduation, their wedding, or even the birth of their first child. A lifelong friendship begins the moment you open your home to an exchange student.

Like many of our families, you will encourage your friends and neighbors to host a student and share in this remarkable experience. You may choose to host another student next year, perhaps from a different country. Many host families allow this-year's student to review student applications and help them choose next-year's student! A host family is a family that keeps on growing--growing closer, and growing more diverse.

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Links

Link to: aspect foundation