Articles
After the Open Birth Certificates Act of NJ came into effect in 2017, I attended an event that led me to a newfound boldness about search and reunion in adoption. At this event I had my first exper...
Subtle yet steady, a culture war has been slowly brewing in the child advocacy world. It boasts no herald to announce its merits to the nation, and few outside its fields of battle could articulat...
In honor of National Adoption Month 2020, NCFA is featuring various stories and perspectives on adoption. Today we welcome guest blogger Jessica, a birth mom, working to raise awareness about the i...
With proper financial planning, adoption can be an affordable option for many families. Whether you're interested in adoption grants or loans, the list below includes some of the resources availab...
If you are considering an intercountry adoption you probably have lots of questions and may not be sure where to even begin trying to understand all that is involved. Let's start with the basics, a...
Across the United States, there are currently over 122,000 children and youth waiting for permanency with a loving, nurturing family. Perhaps you are the mom or dad they have been waiting for! Ad...
Adoption can be a positive option for all members of the triad; infants placed for adoption grow up in a loving family, birth parents who are not ready to parent are given the opportunity to move fo...
We know that you probably have a lot of questions. The questions and answers on this page may not answer all the questions you may have about adoption, but this list should help you get started. ...
Depending on what type of adoption service you are looking for, you may be able to work with either an adoption agency or attorney, or both. Use this chart to discover your options! Please note that...
My name is Lydia, and I placed my perfect little girl for adoption two days after she was born. The raw and painful memories of that day are still so very real for me. But, the absolute joy I got ...
Adoption: By the Numbers National Council For Adoption’s Adoption: By the Numbers is the only comprehensive source of the most recent adoption statistics. Featuring data collected and analy...
Weaving Hope Into Heartache – A Parent’s Perspective If you’re an adoptive parent like me who has had the benefit of training and education rooted in TBRI, then you know how essential Th...
Hope-Filled Strategies Come to Life in The Connected Parent – A Professional’s Perspective It’s not often that you remember exactly where you were when reading a book more than 13 years a...
From preschool to college, this school year is anything but normal for students and their parents. The challenges of virtual learning, disruption to established routines, and reduced services c...
The adoption process for expectant parents is different from state to state and across different adoption agencies, but most infant adoptions follow a similar process. Here are the steps you ...
Today was the extended deadline for filing federal 2019 taxes, and NCFA has learned in the last few days that many adoptive families experienced difficulty claiming their recently adopted child(ren)...
NCFA member agency Hopscotch Adoptions submitted this guest post on behalf of a family who recently traveled to complete the adoption of their daughter Sofija from Serbia. As one of the first famili...
Increasingly same-sex headed families are becoming a part of the adoption community. Since the legalization of gay marriage, many agencies have seen an increase in the number of same-sex couples loo...
Scott Hamilton, Babe Ruth, Mike Tyson, Aaron Judge. All of these athletes have something in common, but it is not what you might think. Marilyn Monroe, Steve Jobs, Kristen Chenoworth, Faith Hil...
In honor of National Foster Care Month, NCFA has been sharing voices and perspectives on our blog and social media channels from former foster youth, foster and adoptive parents, and profession...
Home has taken on new meaning the past few weeks. We stay home to protect the broader community. We’re working from home. Having birthdays at home. And for many, a stable place to call home might ...
Breaking Jurisdictional Barriers in the Placement of Children She scanned the room of the various individuals who came to learn more about adoption from foster care, and after sitting quietl...
In May, we recognize National Foster Care Awareness Month. In the same breath, we advocate for children in foster care who wait for adoptive families. To many, this duality can be confusing. Fo...
Having followed Tori on social media for awhile, I knew that she would have a unique perspective to share with the adoption community during National Foster Care Month, and she was kind enough ...
In today's blog post, NCFA's Development Team offers our member agencies, primarily nonprofit organizations, best practices and tips for effectively communicating with donors and fundraising in...
Our thanks to Lindsay Gilbert, of NCFA member agency Madison Adoption Associates, for sharing her perspective during this time of crisis, as an adoption professional and waiting parent. It’s ...
NCFA has been a strong advocate of the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC) since its inception, because it is a fiscally responsible way to help more American families who want to provide a permanent, lo...
The global spread of COVID-19 has significantly impacted travel for adoptions from China since early February. With growing concern about international travel in general and its impact on adopt...
NCFA is celebrating 40 years of advocating for children, birth families, and adoptive families. We continue to see adoption practice evolve, including new or expanded opportunities for famili...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released their Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System data for FY 2018, capturing data from October 1, 2017, to September 3...
Last week, the U.S. Department of State highlighted their travel advisory for China to "Level 2." Since that time, adoption agencies have reported that families considering travel to China have be...
Words matter so much, especially when we’re speaking about something as deeply personal as adoption. Accurate adoption language can help stop the spread of misconceptions about adoption and reflec...
It is critically important that parents who have adopted through intercountry adoption keep their promises and submit post-adoption reports as they committed to during the adoption process. NCFA bel...
NCFA talked with McLane Layton and Christine Poarch, experts in the Child Citizenship Act and immigration law for adoption, about why it is crucial for adoptive parents to secure a Certificate of C...
Thirty years of research shows that positive interactions between a child and primary caregiver(s) significantly impacts brain development. Studies show that children raised in family-based care (bi...
I can’t remember when I realized I was adopted. I have always felt a part of my family, even though I don’t have the same skin color as them. Yet, it wasn’t until I got older that I realized o...
fter dispelling some common myths about foster care, get the facts here! A lot of families don’t know there are ways to meet children in foster care and build relationships before committing....
May is National Foster Care Month! We’re hoping to raise awareness and have more families consider adoption from foster care. There are many myths that parents believe about adopting from foster c...
Introduction–What is a Third Culture Kid? Third culture kid (TCK) refers to children raised in a culture outside of their biological culture for a significant part of their developmental years.1 ...
When considering intercountry adoption, prospective adoptive parents will hear countries often referred to as "Hague Countries" and "Non-Hague Countries". These can also be called "Convention Countr...
In recognition of the extraordinary leadership that has resulted in measurable progress towards addressing the crisis our nation faces, with more than 100,000 U.S. children in foster care who need p...
What is open adoption? Today, a significant majority of domestic infant adoptions are “open adoptions” in that birth parents and adoptive parents have agreed to engage in some level of communica...
In my previous blog, I talked about the negative impact that abuse and neglect can have on a child’s brain development. I emphasized the great benefit that a long-term caregiver and a forever home...
November is National Adoption Month! Exciting, right? We think so. An entire month devoted to raising awareness about the positive option of adoption, the thousands of children (104,000 to be exact)...