Safety First!

Most parents who send their children to study in the United States go above and beyond to make sure their child will be safe.  However, sometimes parents are deceived and trust the wrong people.  Recently, there was a news story about a couple who used international students as an income source and forced the under-aged students to do illegal things like drink alcohol and participate in some very unthinkable activities.  You can read about it here, (and yes, that is me being interviewed).  While this is definitely not the normal situation for host families, things like this can happen.  

Don't you want to be a part of rebuilding the American image while providing a safe environment for a child?

It is extremely important to go through a licensed organization to become a host family.  At Everyday Interaction, we go through many steps to make sure our host families are safe, and fully informed about what the process entails.  First, we ask our host families to fill out a profile form, telling us about their daily lives, their jobs, and experience with international students.  This helps us with compatibility.

Next, we run background checks on all the adults in your home.  You would want us to do the same for your child, right? 

 Lastly,  we set up an appointment to meet all family members in your home, and we get a feel for the space you are offering to share.  We do all of this for the safety of our international students AND the reputation of our host families.
  
We are confident in our process and our families, so we never require money from our students upfront.  And yes-- you as a host family will be given a modest stipend to cover the expenses that having an additional person in your home will create. We want both our students and host families to be comfortable throughout this whole process.

 It's scary sending a child around the world alone, but we have confidence in the quality of our host families. We have confidence in our communities.  We are American families, and we have the chance to show the world what that truly means. Won't you help us?

I don't know of many organizations that go through all of these steps to ensure the safety of students, but in my opinion, when it comes to young people, we should always be taking every step necessary to keep them safe. 

If you have any questions, or would like to sign up to be a host family, please contact us at: homestay@everydayinteraction.com