FLEX is a unique opportunity for your child to learn firsthand about American life and culture by living with a volunteer host family and attending an American high school. FLEX students improve their English, learn about the world, and acquire important life skills during their year in the United States. Many parents are naturally nervous about sending their child to another country to live with a family for a year. The FLEX Program organizations follow strict regulations and provide support to students during their program experience. If your child has a disability, this should not stop him or her from applying; since 1993, nearly 400 students with a disability have taken part in FLEX, and describe it as a powerful path to independence and increased self-confidence.
Your son or daughter will have the chance to share your home cultures with their host families and schools. Natural parents of FLEX alumni have commented on how much more mature and independent their children are once they return home, and express their appreciation at the care a U.S. host family, so far away, took with their child to nurture their personal development.