Homestay Program Information
Yosemite English School provides a quality homestay program. Our host families are chosen after
interviews and careful screening by our staff. To have a good experience in homestay program,
you should read the following carefully.
Homestay Fee
Homestay fee includes your room, meals (two meals a day on weekdays, three on weekends, holidays,
and during the school breaks) and utilities. Please let your host family know of any food allergies
or food you do not like. Please inform your host family earlier if you will not be home for supper,
or if you would like to have your supper later than the family for the particular day so a plate
can be set aside for you.
Telephone Calls
Local calls: please limit your phone conversation with your friends in local area to 5 to 10 minutes
so that your host family has a chance to make and receive calls, also. Long distance calls: All long
distance phone calls have to be made collect. If you do not want to call collect, call for operator's
assistance to get time and change so you can pay your host family right after your telephone conversation.
Helpful hint: For long-term students (more than 4 months), it might be easier for you to get your own
telephone and line at your own experience so that you can use the telephone any time you want to, and that
your host family doesn't worry about the bill or receiving calls.
Water and Energy
Please conserve water and energy: Both are very expensive! California is experiencing a water and energy
shortage, and everybody is asked to limit water use. That is why we are asking you to take short showers and turn the
light off when you leave your room. Please take your car to a car wash when it needs a wash.
Personal Laundry
Keep your dirty cloths in a basket or plastic bag provided in your room. Your host family does not
have to do vour laundry. Please ask where and which day of week you can do your laundry. It is also your
responsibility to wash your bed linens.
Maintenance
Keeping your room and your bathroom clean and orderly is your responsibility. Your toiletries should
be kept neatly in the bathroom. Please take short showers. Do not throw any foreign object into a toilet
bawl.
Smoking and Alcohol
Both smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the house.
Music
If you wish to listen to loud music in your room, please use headphones.
Television
Please ask your host about rule for the usage of TV and VCR
Visitors
When you wish to invite a friend for a visit, ask your host family first. Please do not bring friends
home for supper without a permission of your host family. Please do not let a friend of opposite sex in to
your bedroom, or spend a night. If your friend is visiting for the evening, please make sure that he/she
leaves by 11:00pm at the least.
Consideration
Your host family is under no obligation to drive you around anywhere. If it is convenient and your host
family can take you to where you want to go, please offer to pay for gas (about $1.00 for every 5 miles
would be a good estimate.)
Departure Time
On the day of your departure, please have all of your bags packed and your room cleaned, so that the new
student will have the room available. If it is necessary for you to stay an extra night or two and your host
family has the room, you are required to pay your host family per night. If the room is not available for you,
you need to make your own arrangements with a hotel or friends. When you plan on leaving your host family, at
least two weeks advance notice is required.
Problems, Complaints
If for any reason. You feel that the host family is not doing what you expected and you feel confused, talk
it over with your host family first. When you still need some help to solve the problem, please contact YES
staff.
Abuse toward the host family causing them to be extremely upset or of extra unnecessary expense may result
in an immediate termination of your homestay with a part or all of the refundable room deposit withheld. Every
effort will be made to work out all problems before the termination occurs.
Please pay your homestay fee to your host family on time.
Homestay program provided by YES is for the student enrolled in YES only. Those who have completed the YES
program must move out of the house unless other arrangements with YES have been made ahead of the time.
Neither Merced College nor Yosemite English School shall be responsible for any damages - personal, property,
or otherwise - caused by host families even though YES staff devote their time to select qualified host
families.
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