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“We get down to this time of year and we have 12 to 15 kids and we really want to place them,” she said.
She said those students can be placed anywhere in the Midwest region, which includes Ohio. However she said less than a handful of families in the Springfield area typically host foreign students and she would like to see that number increase.
A family that wants to welcome an exchange student into their family must be able to pass a background check and have references, Rogers said. She said the right family is one that has a desire to make a big impact on a young person’s life.
“I don’t want to have to beg a family to take a kid,” she said. “If you really want to do this, I am here to walk beside you if you want to do it.”
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Families will have a chance to review the profile of the student before agreeing to house him or her. The family will also be given a letter by the student about their interests and why they want to take classes in America.
Most students want to use the semester as a cultural experience, Rogers said, and most families become close with their students and form a bond with them for the rest of their lives.
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She said that it’s important for someone who would like to get involved to contact her as soon as possible, as schools need to know if a student is going to be enrolling.
“Some school districts have limited numbers and they only take so many exchange students and they have a date they need to know by,” Rogers said. “Sometimes we get lucky and they will help us out. But most of the time we have them go ahead and start the application process as soon as possible.”
Anyone interested in learning more information about hosting can go online to ASSE.com or call 952-473-4373.
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