ECI’s Homestay Programs in the U.S.
3-4 Week Programs in the San Francisco Bay Area
Edu-Culture International has conducted cultural immersion trips and educational tours for high school and middle school students for eleven years.
ECI's U.S. programs give European high school students the true cultural experience that only a homestay can provide. Our students strengthen their English while enjoying the local sights and cultural flair of the San Francisco Bay Area. The trips are well established, widely respected, and carefully planned..
The result is a highly personal encounter with life in another country. Students return to Europe with powerful new perspectives on the world and on themselves.
The Host Family experience is the core of ECI's Language Immersion programs. Hundreds of SF Bay area families participate in our volunteer program each year.
ECI offers three kinds of programs for European students traveling to the SF Bay Area, the Group Program, the Immersion Program, and shorter HSI Programs in the Spring.
Group Program
Each ECI Group Program brings 20-30 European students, along with European chaperones, to the San Francisco Bay Area for 3-4 weeks. Students in the Group Program spend their weekdays - from about 9 am to 5 pm, with the group, chaperones, and local leaders (often Bay area language teachers) - participating in a custom-designed itinerary filled with excursions and activities. Fun, interesting, and educational, the activities are geared toward both strengthening English language skills and giving students a great sense of local culture. American host sisters and brothers are welcome to participate in these activities as well.
Highlights of the San Francisco Bay Area activities include: several visits to San Francisco to see all of the main sites including the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury, Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square; a fun-filled day visiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk; a tour of the University of California, Berkley campus; and a visit to Alcatraz. Language, culture, sports, and culinary workshops round out the daily activities itinerary.
At night and on the weekends, students spend time with their Host Family, immersing themselves in Californian life. We've found that there are as many versions of Californian life as there are Californians, and from the simplest activities (like grocery shopping) to fun family experiences (like traveling to Lake Tahoe), European students truly enjoy their experience with their Host Family.
ECI students on the Group Programs range in age from 13 to 18 years old, and come from Spain, France, Germany and Austria. Most of our programs have students from one single country, though occassionally, the programs may be a mixed trip. The programs are generally three to four weeks, and we match one student with one family unless otherwise requested.
2010 Summer Program Locations for Group Students
- July: Berkeley, Orinda, Moraga, San Francisco, Lafayette, Palo Alto, Burlingame, Danville, Pleasanton
- August: Berkeley & Walnut Creek
Families that live outside of these areas can host Immersion students, or possibly utilize public transportation to host a group student
Immersion Program
Host Family Immersion has long been recognized as the best way to strengthen language skills and experience the way of life in a foreign country. Rather than traveling with a Group and participating in daily activities, ECI's Immersion programs offer serious students a chance to fully immerse themselves in American life. Their focus is to speak and learn entirely in English, while participating in a true cultural exchange.
ECI Immersion students range in age from 15 to 18 years old and typically have already studied English for 3-8 years. They come from France, Spain, Germany, Austria, and occassionally Italy and England! Immersion programs vary in length from two to four weeks.
Because ECI students on Immersion programs are here for a focused cultural experience, it is important that their Host Families be welcome to the experience of cultural exchange. Host families are asked to include their student in their daily lives; learning about American life can be as simple as going to the grocery store! Our Host Families often take their students to see the sights of the San Francisco Bay Area, occassionally on short trips to Napa or Lake Tahoe, and invite friends and family for dinners and get-togethers. Though there are no organized ECI activities, we often help Immersion students meet up with other Immersion students during their stay in California, and occassionally host an ECI get-together of our own!
High School Integration Program
Students shadow for several days in a local high school as part of their ECI program. During a High School Integration program, students spend nights and weekends with their host families. During the day they shadow at school or participate in a variety of activities and excursions planned in advance. These students usually come for a maximum of two weeks during in the spring. Students are typically 13-18 years of age and usually are from Austria.
Which program is right for our family?
Each family is of course different! For some families, hosting a student on a Group Program is perfect because the parents work during the day, and other families prefer the flexibility and more focused cultural exchange that our Immersion Programs offer. ECI staff meet with families individually to ensure the best possible hosting experience, and we welcome any questions.
What kind of student will be staying with our family?
ECI staff work closely with students and families to ensure the best possible match. We look at interests, language abilities, and personalities of our incoming students as well as the interests and make-up of our host families when matching, and families are asked about their preferences. Students are interviewed in Europe, and send an introductory letter and pictures to assist in the matching process. All of our students are serious individuals, curious about American life and focused on learning.
Ready to find out more about ECI's Host Family Experience?
Contact us at our main Berkeley office 510.845.2230 or fill out the Host Family Inquiry Form and we will contact you shortly!