HOST FAMILY GUIDELINES
The following guidelines have been developed and MUST BE FOLLOWED when selecting host families.
The natural parents expect friendly host families who integrate the participant in their daily life. Families are not requested to organize special activities or events but they should be dynamic enough to ensure the participant that they host will be fully integrated into their home and community.
- English must be the “main” language of the household. The Host families must be second-generation or more in Canada; all the members of the family must speak fluent English. Everyone must speak English in the home during the student’s full stay.
- Host family parent(s) should be at least 25 years of age but under 70.
- The family must consist of at least two people, one of which is an adult female related to another household member. (not a roommate)
- No more than 4 international students can be hosted at the same time
- Except for a specific request from Nacel, students speaking the same native language cannot be placed together. Homestay coordinators must verify if any other student at home speaks French/Spanish before placement.
- Hosting must be in the house or apartment occupied by the family
- The home cannot be a mobile home. It must be a permanent structure.
- There must be some form of transportation available, either public (transit bus) or a family vehicle
- HOMESCHOOL PROGRAM: The homeschool teacher of the family stay he/she must have a post-secondary, TEFL-like diploma or equivalent to teach lessons.
THE HOST FAMILY SHALL OFFER THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS OF MINIMUM COMFORT
- Individual bed and storage space for personal belongings
- Sharing a room with another student or a family child is acceptable as long as both are of the same gender and relatively of the same age [no more than 2-3 years difference]. If the student is sharing a room, it must be indicated on the questionnaire.
- A bathroom/toilet area (Shared with family members is acceptable)
- Access to a telephone
- Families must:
- provide all meals (packed lunch for lunches)
- change bed linen regularly
- provide laundry services
- integrate their student into the family life
- Safety
- Nacel participants are not allowed to smoke. If a participant is caught smoking, he/she will receive a warning and be immediately placed on probation by the local coordinator. In turn, their agency will advise the natural parents of infractions in writing. We ask that the host family be involved in this process, and for our part, we will give them our full support.
- Families must be visited at home when recruited; if they are a repeat Nacel family with no changes, then a visit every 2nd year is acceptable. All changes which occurred in the host family must be updated with the coordinator as they apply.