GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — As the school year approaches, foreign exchange students are ready to make their way to mid-Michigan, but first, they need host families.
Many mid-Michigan schools accept foreign exchange students including Grand Ledge Public Schools, and coordinators like Amanda Osborne and Emily Syck from the Council for Educational Travel USA are excited and ready for students to start making their way to the United States.
“It lends a lot of diversity to the school, you know, they learn different cultures, they learn different ways of life, the kids coming here do the same thing. They learn more about America than what is on TV,” said Osborne.
But the increased need for host families is affecting those plans. Osborne spoke to her personal experience with hosting students in recent years.
“I hosted two boys this year, I noticed a huge increase in my grocery budget, because those boys could eat. But then you know, it got it got better. So it definitely with the the economic climate right now it is making it a little more difficult,” she said.
CETUSA typically places around 800 students in homes, and they are currently trying to place 300 and about 50 in the mid-Michigan area specifically.
Amy Firtl, Grand Ledge High School German teacher and coordinator of the Grand Ledge-Lohne exchange program, has seen some of these effects as well.
“I do know that the pandemic caused a couple of families who were intending on hosting to back out just because they didn't feel as comfortable with the uncertainties.” Firtl said.
But they all agree on the fact that hosting foreign exchange students is rewarding and an experience that is beneficial on both ends.
If you are interested in becoming a host, you can visit CETUSA's website and click the "host a student tab," or if you are interested in the Grand Ledge-Lohne exchange program, you can contact Grand Ledge Public Schools officials for more information.
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