Not ready for adoption, but looking for information.

it varies for region to region.. and this is a load question :eyebrows: I was licensed for free (minus background check.. that was, like $15). The cost of adopting from foster care, 2 notarized letters (i had friends so this was free) cost of having kids in my care.. maybe $400 a month beyond what the state paid (day care reimbursements are insufficient.. then there food, clothes, bedding, toys, horse riding lessons, soccer balls, etc) be prepared to be flexible.. having kids in general means your life is no longer your own.. but kids with trauma require you rethink how to parent and constantly adjust until you find the right mix. Add on that, dcyf is a large bureaucracy.. things are logical.. their timelines are nuts. And you have to say and do things against your instincts in order to protect the child this depends on where you live. in my state, state dcyf is where you start. private agencies are got the tougher to care for kids.. not a great starting point, imo

Thanks! Yes, I probably should be more specific on what I mean. On the first question, I'm in Dallas, Texas, and I'm not likely to move anytime soon since this is where family is located. I mean the costs included in the process of adopting or fostering, not the costs of raising the children. I do understand that it varies, I'm just asking what sort of things to prepare for. I think that the second question is exactly what I mean. Finally, as I said, I'm in Dallas, Texas, and I want to know where to start, how to find a reputable agency, etc.

First, you need to decide if you want to foster/adopt or adopt domestically or international. Each decision is going to take you a little differently. You will need a homestudy, which means you will have a social worker, but if you foster/adopt, you must use the one from your state agency. If you want to adopt domestically, you have more room to pick and choose. Internationally, you would need to use the social worker that your agency supplies. Start calling around. If someone will not give you any fees over the phone, I would call someone else. We used an agency the first time, and it took a while to find one that seemed honest. Later, when we adopted for a second time, we used an attorney. Again, call around and make sure someone will talk to you first before you meet with them. We are involved with two adoption support groups, which helped us ask questions about agencies and attorneys. Our first adoption cost around $20,000 because we did not have a clue what we were doing. Our second cost less than $7,000, and we got it all back because of the Adoption Tax credit. If you adopt through your state foster/adopt then you will hardly have to pay any fees. About the only thing you will be out is doctor fees, and any fees you need to make sure your house is up to code, and such. I wrote an ebook if you are interested in only adopting domestically that also has 20 questions to ask your agency and/or attorney : [url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IVOMI8Y]Amazon.com: December Babies: U.S. Domestic Adoption eBook: Melody Lynn: Kindle Store[/url] I hope this helped, my three-year-old was grabbing my arm the whole time. She wants me to help her with the playdoh :)

Thanks kalibug!