What is the Lingoda for Foster Families initiative?

Lingoda is pleased to announce that this week we will start offering free Spanish language classes to foster parents in the U.S. who have stepped up to help migrant children. Find out here if you’re eligible and how you can apply for the Lingoda for Foster Families initiative.

What is the initiative all about?

Unaccompanied migrant children have been crossing the US-Mexico border in rising numbers. In response, some U.S. foster parents have stepped up to offer them temporary housing until they can be reunited with their families. As a company, we admire this effort and want to empower foster parents to provide a comfortable and welcoming temporary home to migrant children. We believe sharing a common language can help to ease difficult transitional periods like this one, so we will offer free group Spanish lessons to a select number of foster parents.

How foster families can benefit from the initiative

Lingoda will choose one hundred beneficiaries to receive the equivalent of one month of free Spanish lessons. They’ll be able to choose their own learning frequency and space out the classes over a longer period between now and February 2022.

How Lingoda is helping to promote integration through language learning

Lingoda is a leading online language school dedicated to building bridges between cultures and improving personal and professional communication. We stand for promoting inclusiveness, tolerance and respect for human rights through language learning.

Cultural diversity is a core value of our multicultural, global business. Lingoda is people centred with language teachers from all over the world, students from nearly 200 countries, and employees from over 30 countries speaking over 40 languages.

Our humanitarian initiative provides resources to help foster families who are making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children already.

Who can apply for the initiative?

You can apply to take part in the Lingoda for Foster Families initiative if you meet the following eligibility criteria:

You must be over 18 years of age
You are a resident of the U.S.
You are a caretaker for unaccompanied children from the US-Mexico border, or plan on becoming one
You are new to Lingoda, meaning you do not have a currently active Lingoda account

As part of the application process, we’ll ask you to provide a brief description of your foster parenting story (see below for the full details on how to apply).

How to participate in the initiative

Foster parents looking to take part in the Lingoda Initiative for U.S. Foster Parents can follow these steps:

Please ensure you meet the eligibility criteria as outlined above. For more information, refer to the FAQs and the rules for participation.
Fill out the application form. We’re asking you for your personal information, your foster parenting status and story, information about the referring foster care agency and your contact details.
Submit your application from June 3rd on and before the deadline on July 31st.

Submit your application in English with one form per participant. Paired parents need to apply separately with one application per person. Lingoda will select the first one hundred applicants who are eligible and have provided the required information. If you have questions about the Lingoda Initiative for U.S. Foster Parents, you can email us at fosterfamilies@lingoda.com.

The deadline for applications is July 31, 2021.

Lingoda will accept applications until 11:59pm ET on July 31, 2021. We will notify the 100 selected beneficiaries by the end of August 2021. Foster parents can then start their language classes from August 2021 on and must finish them before the end of February 2022.

Jakob Straub

Jakob is a freelance writer in Barcelona, Spain, and his favorite books have pages all empty. As an expert storyteller, he publishes creative fiction in English and German and helps other authors shape their manuscripts into compelling stories. Thanks to an expertise in a wide range of topics such as writing, literature and productivity to marketing, travel, and technology, he produces engaging content for his clients. Apart from the escape that books offer, Jakob enjoys traveling digital nomad style and stays active with climbing and hiking. Find out more about him on his website or on Goodreads.