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. The U.S. Department of State will not allow students to travel to any communities under quarantine or to school districts that have implemented 100% distance learning. 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 purchase 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.

To be considered fully screened, a placement must also meet additional criteria:

• Students may not travel to a community that is actively under quarantine to start their year.
• Students may not travel to a school that is utilizing 100% virtual learning to start their year.