John and I adopted two children for {almost} free. I want to share with you something that most people don’t know … but first back to the typical cost of adoptions.
Cost of private adoption
John and I adopted a baby girl from an amazing birth mom in 2010, but as everyone knows adoption is not cheap. Since it was a direct placement there were numerous fees, to the tune of about $6,000 – $7,000. Our daughter is worth every penny, of course.
The cost of most private adoptions cost $20,000 – $30,000. Our adoption was cheaper because we had a connection with the biological mom through a mutual friend and we didn’t use an adoption agency. Instead a lawyer handled the adoption.
Private adoption is a wonderful option if you can afford it!
Cost of international adoption
Before we adopted Alyssa we had our minds set on adopting from China. We did a lot of paperwork for that and spent another $6,000 – $7,000 through an agency. We never got close to being matched with a child though. Right around the time our paperwork was complete, China started severely limiting the number of healthy baby girls that they allowed to be adopted.
My heart was broken, but looking back I’m thankful we went down that path. Attempting to adopt internationally really opened our minds to the plight of orphans. The needs of Chinese girls opened my heart to the needs of all orphans around the world.
The cost of most international adoptions is $25,000 – $50,000. There are programs that can help with the lost.
International adoption is a wonderful option if you can afford it!
The cost of adopting from foster care
By the time Alyssa was 2-years-old we started talking about adopting again. Our older kids were grown, and we wanted Alyssa to have a sibling close to her age. (And the needs of orphans was forefront in our minds!) But our main discouragement was the cost. John had started working for a ministry, which meant less money. We didn’t have $6,000-$20,000 to spend. Still, I could not shake the calling on my heart to adopt more children.
Then one afternoon John went to lunch with a friend, and we learned an amazing fact: in Arkansas, where we lived, it cost almost nothing to adopt from foster care.
I had heard about the needs of foster children after moving to Arkansas. The Project Zero Heart Gallery (http://www.theprojectzero.org/) had been displayed at our church, and even though we were interested we were still concerned about the cost. Yet discovering that adopting from foster care is {almost} free everything change. It became possible for us to pursue adoption.
Our process
We contacted DHS in Arkansas in March of 2012, started adoption/foster care classes in July, and had our house open for adoption by the end of November. We were matched with children by January 2013.
In our state there are classes for families interested in foster care and adoption. We told our local DHS office that we wanted to go the adoption-only route. That means that the rights of the parents had already been terminated, and the children were open for adoption. Yes, there are foster kids in need of homes, but there are also already children who are just waiting for forever parents.
Because we were willing to accept some special needs and sibling groups, we were matched with a girl (5) and a boy (2), and there was some special needs with these children.
What was the cost? We had to pay for physicals to turn in with our paperwork. That was it. Other than that there was lots of paperwork to do, cleaning and preparing our home for the home studies, attending adoption training, and reading lots of books on how to adopt.
Adopting from foster care is a wonderful option, and almost everyone can afford it!
Pre-adoptive parents get financial assistance from the state
A few more things you might be interested in. In Arkansas it takes 6 months of having the child(ren) in your home before the adoption is final. You get paid as foster parents during this time. And, in some cases, this pay continues. (The continuance of board pay is more likely for special needs children, sibling groups, and harder to place children.) My children continue to get medical insurance through the state and help with college after they graduate from high school.
I can go on and on about the challenges and joys of adopting from the foster care system. There are challenges, but the right therapy has transformed my kids! And they are the joy of my heart. I couldn’t imagine my life without them.
What about you?
The first challenge people often worry about is cost, and that’s why I’m writing this post. Would your consideration of adopting children change if cost wasn’t the issue?
Here are some steps you can take:
1. Pray about it. What is God stirring in your heart?
2. Talk to your spouse about it. Both parents should be 100% on board.
3. Talk to friends who’ve adopted. Get the real-life facts from someone who’s been there.
4. Attend an informational meeting in your county. Most counties have regular informational meetings where you can get your questions answered. You’ll also receive paperwork to discover your eligibility.
More information
Currently hundreds of thousands of kids are waiting for a forever family to adopt them. These are parents who were put into foster care–for reasons beyond their control–and their parents’ rights were later terminated. If you’re interested here are a few more resources to help:
Adoption from Foster Care, Focus on the Family
State Adoption Requirements
National Information about Foster Care Adoption
In Arkansas:
1. The Call. (thecallinarkansas.org)
Mobilizing Christian families to foster or adopt children from Arkansas foster care
2. The Project Zero. (theprojectzero.org/)
A few of the kids available for adoption in Arkansas:
Note: There are more kids that are available for adoption than on the Adoption Gallery of any state. The children profiled on adoption galleries are usually older kids or sibling groups who are harder to place.
You can also adopt younger kids from foster care. Talk to your local state foster care office for more information.
Resources:
Successful Foster Care Adoption by Deborah Beasley
Parenting the Hurt Child: Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow by Gregory Keck
The Connected Child: Bring hope and healing to your adoptive family by Karyn B. Purvis
When Love Is Not Enough: A Guide to Parenting with RAD-Reactive Attachment Disorder by Nancy Thomas
Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control: A Love-Base Approach to Helping Attachment-
Challenged Children with Severe Behaviors by Heather T. Forbes
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