The new school year is about to start, and with it will come foreign high school students participating in semester- and year-long academic programs. But in order to study here, students need families with whom they can stay. Pacific Intercultural Exchange (P.I.E.) is currently making its final plea for host families on the Central Coast.
According to P.I.E. officials, students in the program are all between the ages of 15 and 18, speak English, have their own spending money, and carry accident and health insurance. P.I.E. currently has programs to match almost every family’s needs, ranging in length from one semester to a full academic year, where the students attend local public and private high schools.
Local area representatives match students with host families by finding common interests and lifestyles through an informal in-home meeting. Prospective host families can review student applications and select someone they feel is a good match. All kinds of families are welcome, including those composed of a single parent, a childless couple, a retired couple, or a large family.
Families who host for P.I.E. are also eligible to claim a monthly charitable contribution deduction on their itemized tax returns for each month they host a sponsored student.
For the upcoming school year, P.I.E. has students from Germany, Russia, Argentina, Norway, Korea, Mexico, Australia, China, and many other countries. P.I.E. is also participating in two special government-funded programs to bring to the United States scholarship students from the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union as well as predominantly Islamic countries, such as Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait, Iraq, and Qatar.
P.I.E. is a nonprofit educational organization that’s sponsored more than 25,000 students from 45 countries since its founding in 1975. The organization is also listed by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET), certifying that it complies with standards set for international educational travel programs.
Families interested in learning more about student exchange or arranging for a meeting with a community representative can call P.I.E. at 1-866-546-1402. The agency also has travel and study program opportunities available for American high school students, as well as possibilities for community volunteers to assist and work with area host families, students, and schools.
School Scene is compiled by News Editor Amy Asman. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Aug 5-12, 2010.
