Exchange Students Seek Host Families

Local families are needed to take foreign exchange students into their homes for the upcoming school year, either for one semester or the full academic year, officials said Monday.

The host families must provide free room and board for the foreign students. But the students have their own spending money and carry accident and health insurance, said William Frantz, regional director of Open Door Student Exchange.

About 15 Ventura County families took in foreign students last year as part of the program, Frantz said. There are always more students who want to come to the United States than there are families willing to take them in, he said.

“It is hard to find host families because a lot of people don’t understand that they get something out of this program,” Frantz said. “They get the experience of learning about other cultures and they make international friends.”

Frantz, a retired civilian staffer at the Point Mugu naval base, said he and his wife have hosted about 20 students over the years. All of them are in high school and range from 15 to 18 years old.

All have at least some proficiency in English, Frantz said. Their home countries include Spain, Germany, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Italy and the former Yugoslav republics.

For more information, call 484-1746.