Though we did not run a fall program, EF High School Exchange Year has already begun placing students for arrival to their host families in January 2021 and for the 2021-2022 school year. New students are accepted each day and our teams across the country are working to finalize their placements with interested, caring host families.

In addition to preparation from their home offices abroad, students participate in a thorough online preparation program. This preparation includes detailed information about COVID-19 as it pertains to school, host family and community life. Once placements are finalized, we encourage students and host families to connect about the most up to date COVID-19 information for their community.

Students will be asked to comply with all travel regulations from the time they depart their homes until their arrival in your community. Upon arrival to the U.S., students will be expected to follow local and state safety guidelines.

Anyone exposed to COIVD-19 or with a confirmed case must follow the guidance of their local health authorities and this also applies to exchange students . All students are required to have health insurance to participate in the program. The majority of students have Erika insurance, which works with Aetna Student Health for access to the Aetna network. With Erika insurance, students would pay a co-pay for office, urgent care, or emergency room visits as needed or directed. You can read more about coverage here: https://efexchangeyear.org/guide/posts/erika/

Neither students nor host families will be asked to provide documentation of testing. Students will be instructed to notify their home office and not to travel if they feel unwell, and host families will be asked to notify EF if anyone in their home is ill leading up to their student’s arrival. Should guidelines for international travel change, we may adjust our requirements.

The safety and wellbeing of all program participants continues to be a top priority for us. In helping to facilitate the exchange experience, our program relies on mutual trust and a desire for host families to open their hearts and homes to a student. We understand that the current situation may give participants on both sides of the exchange pause while they consider their comfort level in proceeding with exchange and how they will safely continue with their participation.

While students are not required by EF to quarantine upon arrival, they must follow all local and state safety guidelines. This may include a mandated quarantine or testing. We understand that each individual household may have their own expectations when it comes to integrating a new member into their home. If a family has specific requests, we encourage them to reach out to their student, local coordinator, and our dedicated Program Support team to have an open dialogue.

One of the most rewarding parts of an exchange year is a student sharing their culture and learning about life in the United States at school. We understand schools have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and we are working with them to integrate exchange students according to their guidelines. Students are required to participate in EF-sponsored online orientations outlining new expectations around their participation in virtual and in-person class settings. As always, students are expected to follow state, local, and school guidelines.

We remain encouraged by the news of vaccine development, trial, and distribution and continue to monitor when they become available to the general public and how that impacts our exchange community