What Are a Host Family’s Responsibilities?

Each year, AYA welcomes new host families while also welcoming back families who have hosted students with AYA in the past. Whether a first-timer or a repeat, host families are fantastic people across the U.S. that welcome international high school students into their homes for a semester or academic year. To understand why host families are so important, keep in mind that their generosity supports cultural exchange and educational enrichment for high schools and communities across the country. As a result, we have opportunities to learn from and interact with people from around the world, building friendships, understanding and a framework for developing global skills that are highly sought after in the modern workforce.

The application to be accepted as a host family includes a criminal background check, an in-home interview, two references, a high school profile and a community profile. If you are interested in becoming a host family, your primary responsibilities include the following:

• Provide a student with a safe, supportive and loving home for an academic year or semester
• Welcome a student as a member of the family and encouraging student to participate in all aspects of family life
• Provide a student with his/her own bed and a place to study, either in a room shared with a family member (must be of the same sex and within four years of each other) or in his/her own room
• Provide a student with 3 quality meals a day
• Provide transportation to and from school (usually by school bus)
• Encourage the exchange of ideas and provide students with exposure to the cultural and social environment of your home and neighborhood

Host families can choose one or more students from countries all over the globe. If you are curious about hosting an international student, we encourage you to learn more about AYA and why host families are so important.