Accredited summer-abroad programs

Hi all,

I’m thinking of sending my daughter to Spain for about a month next summer (2020) for a homestay/language study program between her junior and senior year. A formal language study component (i.e., 3 hours per day) would be a plus, as her Spanish classes at school are truly abysmal. She will have completed Spanish 4 but her skills wills not reflect that (even though she’s made all "A"s! We don’t want something that will just be a glorified tour, where she’s spending most of her time with other Americans, but I also think that doing the immersion homestay 24/7 with no structure or language instruction would be a bit much for my shy-ish kid.

When I was a teenager many years ago I did two summer exchanges with the Experiment In International Living, and more recently have volunteered with AFS. Am curious about other options…what other organizations are out there with high safety/quality standards. Would love to hear from anyone whose child has completed such a program, including pros and cons of the organization! Thanks in advance!

Does your kid want a homestay? Mine really struggled with unfamiliar food and culture shock even in a dorm situation, and wouldn’t consider homestays that were longer than a few days.

If you’re open to Latin American destinations, http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/youth-languages/programs/spanish-high-school-credit-abroad will be a combination of incredibly intense formal coursework, plus some homestay, plus some touristy stuff.

https://yfu.org/ is similar to AFS, but may offer options that would work better for her.