adoptuskids.org
Written by: Meredith Kalisch?? Photography by: Jen Haynes
We?ve all heard the shocking statistics about the number of children who are orphaned in the United States, as well as the number of children who never find homes. We?ve also heard the overwhelming ?facts? about the complexities and inconveniences of the adoption process: long, expensive, and limiting. Isn?t it easier to adopt from outside of the United States? No, actually. Isn?t it important for an adoptive parent to be married? Not really. Don?t you have to be wealthy, or at least own a house to adopt and raise a child? The answer is, no. Myths and rumors about the complexity of the adoption process may leave potential adoptive parents apprehensive and in a frenzy to find the easiest and least taxing adoption process. Well what if that?s all these ?facts? really are? Exaggerated rumors. We interviewed Kathy Ledesma, the Project Director at AdoptUSKids, a service of the U.S. Children?s Bureau (the oldest adoption agency in America!) that works exclusively with the adoption of children who are in the U.S. foster care system, to find out the truth.
According to AdoptUSKids, new regulations pertaining to the adoption of international children have actually made it more challenging for citizens of the United States to adopt from international sources. In 2010, almost five times as many children were adopted through the U.S. foster care as opposed to all international sources (Hague Convention countries) combined. How long exactly does this adoption process take? Again, it?s more of a challenge when it comes to adopting from international sources: while it takes roughly a year to adopt a child from the U.S. foster care system, the average time it takes to adopt a child from outside of the U.S. increases by half a year.
A year might seem a long wait, but when we pause for a moment, we may realize the gravity of what, exactly, we are waiting for: to provide a young, orphaned child with a home and a forever family. In the busy, rush-rush lives we live, we surely can?t be that impatient.
As for a child being adopted into a traditional, two-parent house, AdoptUSKids indicates that in 2010, about a third of the children adopted from foster care were placed in homes with either a single parent or unmarried couple; these adoptive homes were not discriminated against based on sexual orientation. While a two-parent, opposite-sex couple may be the most traditional, it doesn?t at all mean that they are the only models of families eligible to adopt a child (there?s another myth, for you); a single mother can provide a far better home and family to a child than no mother at all.
The AdoptUSKids website also states that ?you don?t need to own your own home, be wealthy, have children already, or be a stay-at-home parent to adopt.? And what about the actual costs of adoption itself? According to Ledesma, although families may run into some out-of pock costs during the adoption process, ?these [costs] are generally under $5000, and are, in nearly all cases, reimbursed to the family after the adoption is finalized.? In the long run (and we would certainly hope that the adoption of a child would be forever), the cost seems trivial, doesn?t it? In addition, Ledesma points out that ?of the [53,000] children adopted in 2010, 90% are receiving federal or state adoption assistance.? This means that the children are provided with additional benefits, which makes the costs of raising the child easier to meet for the adoptive parents. These aids include a Medicaid card and an ongoing monthly subsidy that goes to the adoptive family to ensure that the family can take care of the child?s needs. The U.S. Foster Care really does try to make adoption as easy and affordable as possible to encourage families to welcome the children into their homes.
And just how many children are in need of homes? Ledesma explains, ?According to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (the funder of AdoptUSKids), there are currently 408,000 children in foster care in the U.S.? Of those children, 107,000 need families to adopt them.? Sadly, finding homes for these children is not always an easy task, especially as the children grow older. Ledesma admits that data indicates that a child?s chance of being placed with an adoptive family decreases significantly and steadily after age 9.
While we may find ourselves intimidated by the time, costs, and seemingly endless paperwork that come along with the adoption process, we should remember that it is just that: a process. When we asked Kathy Ledesma if there was anything else that future adoptive parents should expect in the adoption process, she had a final word of encouragement: ?Whenever families ask me how long, realistically, it takes to adopt, I tell them this:? It takes nine months from conception to give birth to a biological child.? When pursuing parenting through adoption, ?conception? would be the point in the process when you have [finally] been approved to adopt. Plan on 9 months from that point to welcome your new child into your family and your home. This may seem like a long time, especially in this age of instant gratification, but as almost any adoptive family will tell you: it?s well worth the wait!?
To get started today, visit
www. adoptuskids.org
Source: http://www.docica.com/posts/adopt-us-kids-org/
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