host family Archives

How Do American Children Benefit from an International Host Sibling?

April 13, 2018 AYA Leave a Comment

Hosting an international high school student has a lasting impact on American families, in particular on the host children, who gain not only a unique first-hand cultural exchange experience, but also a lifelong sibling and friend. There are many ways in which the hosting … [Read more...]

Why You Should Host a Student with AYA

March 28, 2018 AYA 4 Comments

https://youtu.be/QLOrqv54gvY Academic Year in America (AYA) is proud to be a program of choice for international students and host families across the U.S. If you are thinking about hosting an exchange student, you’ll find many reasons to host a student with … [Read more...]

What to Expect as an AYA Host Family

March 20, 2018 AYA 2 Comments

There is nothing quite like the excitement of meeting a foreign exchange student who is about to become a part of your household! You become surrogate parents and gain a “new” son or daughter when you participate in cultural exchange through hosting with AYA. Expectant host … [Read more...]

AYA Host Dad Reflects on Hosting Exchange Students

October 30, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

Volunteering to serve food at a homeless shelter Sometimes life comes at you fast. It's often the things we take a chance on that change our lives the most. Byron and his partner never anticipated hosting an exchange student, but taking a leap of faith and going for it has … [Read more...]

AYA Students Honor Host Fathers and Show Appreciation

June 16, 2017 AYA Leave a Comment

Father's Day is a special time to show our appreciation and celebrate all the fathers, host fathers and father figures out there that work so hard to bring joy to all those around them. In honor of dads everywhere, we’re thrilled to share these stories from AYA students that who … [Read more...]

AYA Students Celebrate Host Moms, Share Memories and Give Thanks

May 12, 2017 AYA 1 Comment

Mother's Day is a special day to show our gratitude and celebrate all the mothers, host moms and mother figures out there that do so much to bring happiness to everyone else. In honor of mother's everywhere, we're delighted to share the following submissions from AYA students … [Read more...]