It’s never too early to learn a new language. There are many benefits to learning a language at a young age, which makes homestays and exchanges popular choices for children and their parents.
There are a number of steps parents can take to prepare their child for a homestay. Homestay hosts and teachers wishing to host young children have a few more things to think about in order to provide a happy environment and an experience that ensures language learning success.
With the right knowledge and preparation however, needs can be met and challenges overcome to deliver a truly rewarding homestay experience. Here’s what to consider when hosting young children.
Local regulations
Safeguarding the children in your care throughout your homestay is of course a top priority. Regulations differ depending on the location of the homestay accommodation. Make sure you are clued up on local rules and regulations.
Homestays based in the UK are bound by safeguarding legislation. The regulations that will shape your homestay experience for children under the age of 18 are set out in the Children Act 1989 and Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child is also essential reading for people hosting younger children via homestays.
As a homestay host in England, you have an obligation to keep the children in your care safe. With this in mind, hosts, and teachers should have a strong ethos of care based on established safeguarding practices in line with the latest legal requirements and government guidance.
British families hosting a child under 16 (under 18 if with a disability) for more than 28 days, need to follow UK foster care guidelines and they have a legal responsibility to inform their local government authority that they have a young guest staying with them.
If your young foreign student will be staying for an extended period and attending school you should also check with your local government authority about any required visas and enrolment regulations.
Homesickness
Homesickness is an issue that affects homestay guests of all ages. For younger children, being away from home and their parents can be particularly challenging. Without the right support, homesickness can have a negative impact on a child’s homestay experience.
Working directly with your young guest’s parents in the run up to their stay is the key to limiting homesickness and dealing with feelings positively. GoodTherapy offers some great advice, which is well worth passing onto the parents of your homestay guest:
“It can be beneficial to hang a wall calendar in a common room. Mark the calendar with the date of departure as well as fun or interesting events that highlight the time away, and occasionally remind your child about these, increasing as the time approaches. This will give your child something to look forward to, which can help ease the transition.”
Getting the child to bring along a few home comforts and personalising your homestay space and experience to their interests are other ways to help kids deal with feelings of homesickness. Find more tips for helping homesick homestay guests.
Educational needs
Every child is different. Each will have different interests and their own colourful personality. Their educational needs will also vary.
Being aware of each individual guest’s educational needs is vital if you are hosting them during term time.
Your guests will need to keep up with the curriculum back home as well as accommodate language lessons and explore the culture of a fascinating new country.
Make sure you are fully aware of your young guest’s educational requirements before their stay. Using information gathered in pre-visit chats, you can design a homestay program that ensures they prosper in every way possible.
Boundaries and discipline
A homestay is a home away from home. But unfortunately when hosting homestay guests under the age of 18, it’s not always going to be fun and frolics.
Setting, sharing, and encouraging guests to stick to house rules will ensure boundaries are set as soon as they enter your home. These house rules provide a list of dos and don’ts for your guests. Rules should be shared before booking to ensure children and their parents know exactly what to expect from the experience you’re offering.
Establishing house rules and guest expectations will ensure those that come to stay with you can feel comfortable for the duration of the homestay. You should encourage guests to treat your home like their own home whilst guaranteeing your home, family, fellow guests, and the experience are treated with respect.
When hosting under 18s, you may have to discipline guests yourself if house rules are broken. Make sure you discuss and agree disciplinary procedures with your prospective guests and their parents prior to booking.
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