could anyone provide some info?

[FONT=Arial]No, there arent many agencies that deal with Poland, and I'm not even sure that is a question that can be answered publicly due to forum rules/regs of which I'm not up to date.[/FONT][FONT=Arial][/FONT] [FONT=Arial]Decide whatҒs important you, send questions regarding those items to every agency, and go from there. If you are a stickler for clear and concise communication, you dont want to work with someone who wonҒt even answer your basic questions. If your concerns are paperwork, you dont want to work with someone who canҒt mange an email or looses your phone message.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]All I can tell you is about my own experience. Our children came from the orphanage in Wroclaw. It was very clean, (I could have eaten off the floor), the children were well dressed, the rooms were orderly, and they were well fed and clean. We were in and out of there a lot, so we know this could not have been merely for show.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]We requested siblings with minor correctable problems or who were hard of hearing or Deaf (on the outside of our parameters), between 4 and 9 years old and brought home 7 year old twin boys. Their referral came with a laundry list of issues requiringђ medication and therapy, none of which amounted to anything. They are extremely healthy, and havent been sick in the 11 months since weҒve known them. The only surprise was the amount of dental work they needed when we got home.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Our cost was frightening but that֒s because the entire family went (husband [a native Pole], myself, our two daughters) and we stayed the entire 7 weeks rather than taking two trips, and travelled quite a bit. I really dont know what the cost of just the adoption part was.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]If you want to kill two birds with one stone, you can start gathering documents while interviewing agencies. Order certified original birth and marriage certificates, any divorce decrees and have them apostilled. You can also get your passports. (These can take a long time now and you need copies to go in your dossier.) Start reading every book you can get your hands on about adoption, post-institutionalized children, and RAD. In doing things like this you can be ahead of the game when you select an agency.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Remember, too, that you can adopt independently and save some money on a middle man (who canҒt really tell you much anyway). Had we to do it over again, we would take that route.[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]The best of luck to you please keep us posted![/FONT]

Our girls were at a Catholic orphanage in Warsaw and our impression was the same as Jacqueline's. The orphanage was very clean and cheery, there were lots of activities for the kids, an on-site preschool, etc. That is definitely a plus for Polish adoptions! We waited around 14 months (from filing our dossier) for a referral. We had originally requested one or two siblings (boys or girls) between the ages of 1 and 4 but amended our homestudy to age 7. We were matched with two lovely and very healthy sisters who had both recently turned 3 and 6. The girls have been with us for a month now and are doing really well. We're living in Poland at the moment so our costs were kept down a bit, though we did use an agency. You can recover a large portion of your costs through adoption tax credits once your adoption is completed. Unless you speak Polish and are familiar with the country, or have already adopted from Poland, going the independent route could be a challenge (I speak Polish and live in Poland for now, but we ultimately opted for an agency). Still, you should get in touch with some who have done it. I think there have been past postings on average costs including flights, etc. Good luck!

It is true that we cannot discuss agencies publically, however you can ask for PMs about agencies. For instance you can ask anyone who was happy with thier agency to PM you. If you don't know how to do PM's post again and I will let you know. My best advice is that you ask for references from the last year from your agency. If they hesitate to give them to you take that as a huge red flag. Reputable agencies will gladly provide you with these.

Our children came home October, 2006. At that time, our two girls had just turned 10 and 4, and our son was almost 3. Our oldest daughter was in a wonderful foster home. Our two younger children were in the orphanage in Wroclaw, and that was just as described by lastpaige - a great place with terrific caregivers. Our only real "health" issue was that our youngest girl had many, many cavities, and our oldest had some. Our children adjusted extremely well with no behavior issues (our pre-teen daughter has took up lying last spring). All three have average to above average intelligence, with three distinct personalities. We made two, two-week trips to Poland. The first time we stayed in a hotel and ate at restaurants. The second time we stayed mostly in an apartment and cooked our own food. Our total cost (forms, facilitator/adoption fee, flight, lodging, meals) was around $35,000. My parents and sister keep telling me that my three kids are worth a million, so that means we got a "good bargain"! Over the last two years the value of the dollar has continued to slide, so the costs within Poland will have increased. It's true that we get an adoption tax credit, but for our family, that has amounted to very little. I will PM you about our facilitator.