Host Family Responsibilities

Volunteer host families welcome students into their homes and everything the family can do to make the student feel at home is appreciated. Here are some of the expectations for being a host family.

Accommodations
Host families are expected to provide a private room for the student with basic furnishings including a bed, desk, lamp, dresser and a closet.

Meals
Students will eat breakfast and dinner during the week and weekend meals at home with their host family. Lunch during the week will be provided for them at the school.

Transportation
We ask the host families to provide transportation for the student to campus in the morning and home from Pitzer at the end of the day.

Handling a Student’s Illness
All students will be covered by medical insurance. Each student will carry an information card, giving the name of the health care provider, policy number, and contact number. In the case of a medical emergency please arrange for whatever immediate care is necessary and then contact our staff as soon as possible.

Activities with your Student
As a member of your household, we hope your student will be able to go with you on shopping trips, to sporting events, to parties, out to eat or even on short weekend trips, just as you would take any member of your family. While appreciated, it is not necessary to plan special or costly outings your family would not normally do. Just like your children, your student may need to study or rest some days. Some students attend religious services with their host families, many do not. Some host families share ethnic recipes and take turns preparing special dishes. What you do for fun on the weekend is up to you and your student. Enjoy!

Solving Host Family and Student Differences
There will be times when you may feel an action the student has taken is inappropriate. It is important to be able to communicate your feelings to the student.

In cases where host families are confused on handling a problem, they can contact the Pitzer program representative for assistance. We have many years of experience in teaching and counseling international students.

If you have any other questions, please contact Todd Sasaki, International Programs Office, at 909-621-8308.