Safe, caring, and a warm welcome.

International Programs Homestay

Every student residing in our International Homestay Programs lives in a family environment that is safe, welcoming and full of integrity.

We use the following high standards to ensure the top quality of our homestays:

All participating homestay families hold an up to date Police Information Checks through the Squamish, West Vancouver or North Vancouver Police Departments. The renewal is required every three years.
Our Homestay Manager visits and interviews each family upon intake into our program as well as regular inspections
Every homestay family participates in annual, mandatory homestay training
Our office maintains regular, open communication with each family and vice versa
All of our homestay families are part of a network that help and support each other
Each homestay family has access to International Programs staff emergency cell phone numbers
Our participating families are allowed to collect only the approved monthly fees for room and board
All homestay families must meet our standards, policies, and expectations.

As a result, we get to know our families well. In the very rare circumstances that a family cannot provide what we require for our international students, training may be provided or the family may be removed from our program.

What it takes

Basic home requirements to host a student

Welcoming a student with the spirit that they are a new family member
A private bedroom to the student that includes bedroom door, window providing adequate light, a comfortable bed, night table, chest of drawers, closet and desk with chair. If the desk is not available in the room, a study area must be available.
The student will be provided with basic internet and full access to the common areas of the home.
Homestay is to provide pillows, bed linen, towels, toilet paper, bath mats, shower curtains, etc.
Homestay is to provide three generous, nutritious meals a day plus reasonable snacks and beverages
Written house rules that are reviewed and discussed together
A clean, safe, caring and supervised environment

Comprehensive and Detailed

Our Homestay Fees and Procedures

In addition to the terms and conditions outlined in the Homestay Participation Agreement, the following fees and procedures are standard for all homestay families participating in the West Vancouver School District International Programs.

Monthly Rate: 1100*
Daily Rate (academic year): $35 to $39, depending on the month. See homestay payment grid.
Daily Rate for placements 25 days or less (July and August camps and summer school): $40
Orientation Homestay fee: $45 per night, with the arrival no earlier than two days prior to orientation starting date
Maintenance and storage fees are arranged between student and host. All fees outside the academic year ( July and August) will be collected directly from the student.

* monthly fees cover from the first day of the month to the last day of the month only and cannot be pro-rated.

Homestay Fees

We only place within the academic year for five or ten months and continued stays up to several years. Students will pay monthly rates.

Extra fees cannot be charged to students without prior approval from the International Programs Department. Most included items are outlined in the Homestay Participation Agreement. There may be cases where extra fees are required, such as when special dietary needs are identified (e.g. gluten-free), and the International Programs Department can negotiate these fees with the student’s natural parents.

There are two main methods for payment

Direct Payment: The homestay family is paid directly by the student. Please remind the student if you have not received payment before the hosting month begins. We highly recommend the usage of the Payment Record Template.

Direct Deposit: The homestay family is paid by the International Programs Department. Standard payment procedure is by direct deposit on the last business day before the hosting month begins.

A two-way commitment

We expect a two-way commitment for the academic year. Because we spend a lot of time and effort to choose only the finest homestay families, we expect every student, once they’ve paid for enrollment, to stay in our homestay program for the entire length of our academic program.

If a Homestay change is needed

We encourage students to fill out their homestay application form as thoroughly as possible to ensure a good match with a family. The more specifics we receive, such as interests, dislikes, allergies and so on, the better the fit we can make.

However, personalities sometimes just don’t work. In this case, we ask that the student or homestay family let us know. Often, it’s just a result of miscommunication and the situation will be resolved quickly. But if things still aren’t working, even after sincere effort and the passage of time and mediation, we will offer one new alternative homestay family within our program.

Please note that we cannot offer multiple alternatives because of the matching required and homestay family availability. If mediation unsuccessful or a change may be in the best interest of both parties, host families will be informed and receive a two – week termination notice by our homestay team staff only. In some circumstances, the two weeks’ notice may be waived at the discretion of the Homestay Manager. If the student is not willing or able to stay the two weeks, we expect payment in lieu.

This responsibility is shared by the homestay family. When requesting a student to move, due process with the Homestay Manager and Homestay Coordinator is required. If mediation is unsuccessful, two week’s notice can be given to the student.

You have options!

Opting Out of our Homestay Program

Any international education students that we accept to continue in our school district can choose to move into a privately arranged accommodation if they meet this criteria:

Demonstrated success in school, study, and in our community
Good writing and speaking skills in English
Comfort and familiarity with our community and school system.
The family must not be an active District Homestay.

Notes:

Any privately arranged accommodation must meet our supervision requirements. For example, a responsible adult over age 25 must live in the home.
Students who have the Director of the program listed as their custodian, must provide the complete, notarized new custodianship declaration document here before further accommodation arrangements can be made.
We may not be able to accommodate students requesting to return to our program after opting out.