Advertisements
Hi I am new to this and just wanted to post to get some advice or suggestions....
My husband(30) and I(29) have decided we would like to extend our family by adopting an older child (3-5 yrs of age), we already have an almost 6 year old daughter and have been TTC with no luck pretty for about 3 years.
We have no idea where to start as for as the whole adoption thing goes...I know this is a really general "where do we start?" question but any advice or suggestions would be very HELPFUL!! Thanks
Like
Share
First, head to the library and read all you can on adoption, especially toddler adoption.
The two most common ways to adopt a toddler are through domestic waiting child/foster care and international. Each carries its' own benefits and risks.
The most glaring difference between them of course is expense - waiting child adoptions generally involve little to no expense because most costs are paid by your tax dollars. International adoptions range from $12-15,000 to well over $30,000.
HTH, best of luck.
Regina
Advertisements
Hello,
I agree that you need to do as much research as possible, it took my husband and myself over a year to decide on which adoption avenue we were to pursue.
Due to the fact that you are looking for a child a bit older you may want to check with your local county agency, also there are private foster-adopt agencies that place children with very minimal fees, the only drawback too adopting a child through a local or private agency is that the child is often part of a sibling group and from your post you indicated you only wanted one.
You can of course adopt internationally which is a pretty expensive avenue, however you do have one option here as well, there are some agencies that have Waiting ChildrenӔ lists, these children are a bit older than the infants so many adoptive families are wanting, some may be a part of sibling groups and others can have minor to major special needs which can be physical or emotional or sometimes both, you can request a photoalbum of waiting children from international agencies that have these programs available, in most cases the fees for adopting these children are greatly reduced if not waived altogether.
If you would like more information on International agencies that have these programs available or if you live in Northern California I can share information on local agencies as I said earlier it took me over a year to make a final decision so I have A LOT to share, please feel free to email me jenrose@mail2infinity.com
Best of luck to you
Jen
welcome,
ditto to everything everyone else has said. You might want to contact your county foster care folks and attend one of their orientations (we went to the santa clara county one when we lived there). also there is a book entitled "toddler adoption" by mary hopkins-best. It will give you info about adopting toddlers internationally and domestically.
good luck!
LisaCA
Advertisements