Foreign high school students will soon arrive in Santa Clara County ready for the fall school year - and they need local families to provide housing.

According to Pacific Intercultural Exchange (P.I.E.) Executive Director John Doty, the students, ages 15-18, speak English, have spending money, carry accident and health insurance and are anxious to share their cultural experiences with American families. P.I.E. can accommodate most families’ requirements. Homestays range from a semester to a full academic year, while the students attend local high schools.

P.I.E. representatives match students with host families by finding common interests and lifestyles through an informal in-home meeting. Because there are no “typical” host families, P.I.E. matches students to the home situation: single parent, childless couple, retired couple or a large family. Hosts are eligible for a $50 per month charitable contribution deduction on their itemized tax returns for each month they host a student.

This year, P.I.E. has students from Germany, the former Soviet Union, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Macedonia, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, Australia, Yugoslavia, China and predominantly Islamic countries such as Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait, Iraq and Qatar.

P.I.E. is a non-profit educational organization that has sponsored more than 25,000 students from 45 countries since its founding in 1975. The U.S. Department of State and the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) recognize P.I.E. as an international educational travel program.

The agency also has travel/study program opportunities available for American high school students as well as possibilities for community volunteers to assist and work with area host families, students and schools.

For more information or to arrange a meeting with a community representative, call toll-free, (866) 546-1402.