Most students do go home for winter break, although some will stay with family members living in the United States. Almost all students go home for summer breaks.

Host families receive a their stipend in a monthly check.

Yes, stipends are taxable according to the IRS and a 1099 will be issued to the primary host that the school contracted with. Nevertheless, because hosts must be able to prove the stipend money was spent on the student in order to avoid paying taxes on it, we recommend hosts keep track of spending and speak with a tax specialist in order to deduct from the taxable income portion that was spent on providing care to the student.

Kennedy Catholic employees are not licensed to provide tax advice and are not experts in the field. Please consult your professional tax expert or preparer for any tax questions regarding Homestay income.

Eligibility for financial aid is based on gross income from all sources and the same principle is applied to Homestay. It would be archaic to base eligibility on net income after expenses due to the variation of personal choices and lifestyle. Homestay Hosts have the option of deducting eligible expenses associated with hosting a Homestay Student in your taxes to offset the taxable nature of the Homestay income.

No, however the majority of our hosts are ultimately matched with a student, typically within the first year of the host being approved.
Additionally, once you have been approved as a host, your application will be stored in our database for as long as you would like, allowing us to offer you regular opportunities to host a student.

The student and their family’s preferences take first priority, after that the following Homestay Policy for housing preference is followed:

1. Family preferences of the Homestay student parents or legal guardian
2. Current Kennedy Catholic families with students currently enrolled
3. Kennedy Catholic families who may not currently have enrolled students but are active in the school and the community
4. Previous experience as a host family. Names and references of the host student and year last hosted must be provided
5. Current Kennedy Catholic staff and faculty

Typically our matching process proceeds in a rolling fashion, beginning in April and ending in August. Although the bulk of our matching takes place during these months, we do offer additional hosting opportunities throughout the year.

Yes. During the application process you will have the opportunity to state a gender preference.

Absolutely! Students and hosts often build a familial bond and seek to live together for the duration of the student’s high school career.

Once your new family member arrives and settles into your home, you will receive an in-person check-in from our staff member. This staff member will serve as your point-person for all of your basic questions or needs and will provide ongoing support to you and your family throughout each student’s stay.

Yes. It is possible to host more than one student, but there are additional requirements for host families who choose to host multiple students.

We currently work with students in high school (ages 14-18).

We primarily work with students from Asian countries, however we do receive homestay requests from students from many other parts of the world, including South America and Europe.

Yes. Although most students come to the United States in order to improve their English and earn an American degree, students are going to be arriving at the very least with conversational-level English skills. Nevertheless, it’s important for hosts to serve as patient mentors for students, particularly upon the student’s immediate arrival, since students may be nervous speaking a second language in a new country.

Yes. Every student has health insurance.

Our students will be coming here with an F1 student visa.

No, we do not allow any of our students to drive regardless of their age.