The Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) is a partnership program between Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Other partners include target countries in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean and community-based educational institutions throughout the United States.

The goal of CASS is to prepare students to return home with personal, academic and technical skills which will enable them to continue growing professionally, share the benefits of their training with others and make positive contributions to the development of their countries. In addition, CASS students come to the U.S. to learn about U.S. culture, values, lifestyles, and to build lasting links between our countries.

CASS students are in the United States for two years. During the first year, the non-English speaking students take intensive English language classes and all students live with a host family for the first nine months. For their second year, the students move into apartments to experience independent living. Students are responsible for timely payments of rent and all bills, cooking and cleaning on their own, grocery shopping and all of the day-to-day activities of living on one's own.

Host families are an integral part of the CASS program. They provide a supportive and caring environment for the students. The relationship between host family and student lasts a lifetime, and has a positive impact on everyone involved. We are always looking for families who are interested in hosting a CASS student. We know and understand that the term "family" can have many different meanings in the United States, and we want to share the many types of U.S. families with our friends from Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. For more information on the CASS program, or if you are interested in hosting, please e-mail Christopher Knight or call 715-675-3331 or 1-888-NTC-7144, Ext. 4038.

Hosting a CASS Student (PDF brochure)