NOTE:  for District 5190 RYE Forms and Complete Inbound and Outbound Program information, go to:  www.RYE5190.org

How to Become a Host Family

Locating host families is the first step in bringing an exchange student into our District.  It is the host family that determines the school zone where the student will be enrolled and locating a host family allows us to issue the necessary paperwork that initiates the process for their Visa to come into the country.

We have found that families of every type enjoy the hosting experience. There is no one model family except that your family is eager to experience a foreign exchange student and to open their home for three to four months for that experience. We select two to three families for each student with the optimal experience being three families. It is all about the experience for these students.

As a host family, the idea is to treat the student as if they were your own child with all the rights and responsibilities your children would have. You are responsible for room, board and transportation. Outside of these responsibilities, the host family is not asked to spend any additional money on the student. If you choose to do so, that would be your choice.

In order to be approved as a host family, there are several steps that have to be taken:

• Host Family Application
  • The Host Family Application is accessed online; click on the Host Family Application link
  • The family will provide three references in the application
  • It is more convenient to have photos of the home ready to upload during the application process
  • All members of the household living at home aged 18 and over must be identified
  • It is important for each household member over the age of 18 to use separate email addresses for application and background check responses

• A background check and approval will be given for all members in the household 18 years old and over
  • The Host Family Application will trigger an email being sent to each person in the household over 18 years of age with a link to provide the necessary information for the background check
  • Once the background check is approved, you will be notified

• An online Youth Protection Training email with a link for the online training will be sent to each member in the household over 18 years of age; once completed, you will be notified

• Host Family Orientation training will be scheduled after the above steps have been completed. The host family in-person orientation training take from 1-1/2 hour to 2 hours. This training is mandatory before the student can move into the host family home.

• Before the student moves into your household, the student’s counselor will schedule a home visit and interview

• Prior to moving a student into a single-parent home, the natural parents must be notified of the single-parent status and give their approval for the student to be hosted in that family

That’s it.  We can assure you that this experience will be exciting and a wonderful contribution to the student’s exchange experience, to the community and to the school.

For more additional information on the program and downloadable documents related to the program, please go to www.RYE5190.org.

We thank you for your help.