What Is an Open Adoption? Whether a couple is experiencing fertility issues, is unable to conceive for any reason, or simply wants to enlarge their family, adopting a child can be a joyful decision. There are two ways to adopt: a closed or open adoption. In an open adoption, the biological parents, or just the […]

Your Guide to Adopting Your Stepchild If you’re one of the 30 million Americans who are a stepparent, you probably have a very strong relationship with your stepchild. In some cases, stepparents may want to formalize this relationship by adopting their stepchild. Understanding how stepchild adoption works can help you decide whether it is right […]

What to Know About Adoption Assistance for Special Needs Children Federal adoption assistance is officially referred to as Title IV-E. State adoption subsidies are generally called non-IV-E. The type of assistance that a child is eligible for depends on that child’s history of care. The details of the special needs eligibility categories are subject to […]

How to Adopt for Same-sex Couples Upon the birth of a child, parental rights automatically default to the baby’s biological parents, also known as the natural parents. An LGBTQ parent will likely turn to adoption when one person in the couple has given birth to a child from someone else outside of the relationship. When […]

Overview of State Assistance for Adoption in New Jersey If you are thinking about adoption in New Jersey, you’ll want to learn about the state’s adoption assistance program. This program offers financial assistance and other benefits to adoptive parents who are considering adopting a child with special needs from foster care. Eligible families may be […]

What to Know When Choosing Between Adoption and Surrogacy Each year in the United States, about 135,000 children are adopted. Excluding step-parent adoptions, about 59% of adoptions are from the foster care system. Surrogacy is another way to add to your family, and each year, about 18,000 babies are born through this method. Genetics Some […]

Do Children Prefer Older or Younger Adoptive Siblings? One common reason that people adopt is because they want their current child to have another sibling. While this is certainly admirable, it can be tough to ensure that all your children get along with each other. Carefully considering the adoptive child’s age can help, but there […]

How to Decide Between Adoption and Legal Guardianship Roughly 8% of children in the U.S. live with family members who are not their biological parents. Though these familial arrangements can be a wonderful way of raising a child, they do come with some legal difficulties. If you are trying to decide between adoption or guardianship, […]

How to Honor Your Adopted Child’s Ethnic Culture Eighty-four percent of international adoptions and 28% of domestic adoptions involve children joining families of another race or ethnic group. In any cross-cultural adoption, it’s important to find ways to honor a child’s heritage. These tips can help your child stay connected to his or her past […]

Always make sure to work with a reputable licensed adoption agency and a reputable attorney who specializes in adoptions, such as those who are Fellows of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. Unethical adoption service providers can take advantage of an emotionally charged process to deceive and defraud prospective adoptive parents or birth […]