December 15, 2017
January Best Time to Prepare Host Family Applications
We’d like to encourage families to plan now to host an international visitor this summer and next fall for the school year. If you apply by February 15, you can be considered for an exchangee from all possible countries available in Kansas. This summer teens from Finland, Costa Rica, South Korea and Japan will be coming to the U.S. on States’ 4-H International Exchange Programs. Applications for hosting Finns and Costa Ricans must be approved in Kansas and submitted to States’ 4-H in Seattle by March 1. Kansas will be placing Japanese and South Koreans around March 1.
IFYE’s and young adults who come Kansas 4-H International Exchangees can be placed when we get their biographical information, which begins in January and February most years. At this time we don’t know which countries will send exchangees here under the IFYE and Kansas exchange. Families with applications approved can be matched as soon as inbounds become available and those not selected for States’ 4-H hosting can be also be considered for a match with a Kansas exchange. No placements are made without consultation with potential families.
Academic Year Programs (AYP) offer the opportunity for families to host a full school year. They usually arrive around August 1 and depart in June. Japan, Korea and countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia are available for AYP hosting. We encourage families to notify us know of their interest and complete applications and screening by mid-January in order to consider as many individuals and countries as possible.
For information about hosting in any of these programs, contact:
Mary Kay Munson, Kansas 4-H International Exchange Coordinator, at 785-238-3631 or munson@ksbroadband.net. Rose Scott, coordinator for the Japan inbound exchange. She can be reached at sixtykid2@gmail.com.