Host families are usually a little unclear as to who is who and what their responsibilities to the student are. Even after doing an interview with the family and explaining the program, many questions arise over the course of the student’s stay. It is always a good idea to put together a notebook for the host family. This gives them a good understanding of their student and their student’s interests, background, hobbies/activities, and needs before they enter into the host family’s home.
The Host Family Notebook should follow the student from home to home, with each family adding information; such as sports participating in, coach’s names and contact information, school difficulties and/or issues, upcoming events… any information the family feels might be helpful for the next family to know.
A sample of the type of information that should be included in this notebook is as follows…
Student information
- A copy of the student’s full application, including medical release
- Information on the student’s country and/or culture
- Flight schedule (if known)
- School Information…What school will the student be attending? Who will register the student?  Who is the student’s counselor at school? Records from the student’s home country. Immunization records. Etc.
Host family information (this information is from the district)
- What are the responsibilities of the host family
- First-night questionnaire
- Hosting and inbound guidelines, District 5100 rules, and inbound guidelines
- Youth Protection Policy and Procedure
- Emergency issues and procedures… contacts, medical insurance, emergency fund, Etc.
Club Information
- Club YE committee roster/club contacts
- Student’s counselor at the club. Phone number and/or email
- Who is responsible for getting the student’s allowance to the student? Phone number and/or email
- Student expenses explanation… How much allowance does the student get and when? What other expenses does the club cover for the student?
- When are the meetings? How does the student get to the meetings? What other activities should the student be attending?
District Information (this information is from the District)
- District YE Committee Roster
- District YE Country Officer for the student. Phone number and/or email
- District activity calendar
Other information – Helpful information about what has worked well when hosting the student to ensure a smooth transition from one family to another.
