In this day and age, we at API can certainly appreciate the anxiety that parents and guardians may feel when their students are pursuing international education opportunities! The news is filled with reports of frightening incidents, both in the United States and abroad, and we understand how tempting it can be to wish to keep our children within arm’s reach.
As an organization founded by mothers, please know that the guiding tenet that defines our entire organization is our deep commitment to developing programs in locations where we would feel safe sending our own children, and implementing exceptional support systems in each site. To quote Jennifer Allen, API President, “I want to reassure all parents that at API, the safety of our participants is our number one priority. We hire personnel we know will care for our participants on-site as if they were their own children. I am confident in the highly capable and trained directors we have in each of our sites.”
API has been in operation since 1997, and over the years we have implemented and tested extensively our emergency protocol, in regard to both personal and broad scale crises. Additional information regarding our policies regarding safety and security can be found here.
Wondering WHY to send your student abroad? Here are some thoughts from parents/guardians of former API students, when asked what they learned from their students’ experiences abroad:
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- There are things a classroom cannot teach.
- I realized the best way to help prepare my child for independence was to allow them to travel.
- I learned that distance and time have no bearing on a parent’s connection with their children.
- As a parent, it was a delight to see my daughter flourish. It is only in letting them go that our children can become who they were meant to be.
- Life is about experience and learning about other cultures… this experience has changed our outlook on life forever.
- I wish all of my children had chosen to study abroad. It is something that will stay with them forever and give them the self-confidence to take on almost any challenge.
Please do not hesitate to contact the API office if you have any questions or concerns!
