The purpose of the Lexington-County Kildare Exchange Program is to provide a genuine cultural and family experience in another country for second level students from County Kildare and those from Lexington, Kentucky USA.
The County Kildare student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) must be willing and able to receive a USA student in their home for approximately the same length of time as the Irish student is in America, but not simultaneously. The Irish and the American student should be together for both parts of the exchange. Students should exhibit maturity, flexibility, and an interest in Irish and American culture.
The exchange will be for ten days during the summer (Proposed dates - Irish Students travelling to US host families 30/06/23 – 10/07/23, US Students travelling to Kildare host families 14/7/23 – 24/07/23). The students will travel as a group with an adult chaperone. You should be prepared to incur an expense of approximately €750 in transportation costs (Additional costs above this are met by grant funding from Kildare County Council). The Host Family will provide room and board. Additional information will be given about your hosting of a student from Lexington at a later date.
If your child/ward is selected for this programme they must have a valid passport, which does not expire for at least 6 months after the date of return to Ireland.
It will also be imperative that you check your health and accident insurance policies to ensure if your child/ward is covered for travel to and from and during their stay in the USA, If not, you must secure such coverage. You are required to apply for an ESTA visa waver in advance of travel.
This application must be filled out by the student applying for the exchange programme and a parent/guardian. You will also need to have two references (one from your Principal or Transition Year coordinator and one other). Save these references to your computer as you will need to upload them during the application process.
Students must be 16 years of age by 1st June 2023 and should exhibit maturity, flexibility, and an interest in Irish and American culture. If selected for this programme Students must have a valid passport, which does not expire for at least 6 months after the date of return to Ireland.