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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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. Call 1-800-US
YOUTH to learn more about becoming a host family. One special student
is eager to hear from you! Send us an
email today (exchange@aspectfoundation.org).
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