How much does it cost?

A lot of people have asked us how much it costs to adopt.  The answer is, it depends.  Are you adopting through an agency?  Privately?  Through the foster care system?  Domestically?  Internationally?  How long do you anticipate waiting before placement?  All of those factors can impact the cost.

That said, we anticipate our adoption costing between 30K and 40K.  Here’s the breakdown:

--Application Fee:  $300

--Contract with our agency:  $21,000

--Plus a possible $3,000 in legal fees (example, if we need to search for the birthfather or if the birthmother is a minor)

--Plus a possible $3,000 in medical fees if the child needs it before he/she comes into our care

--Homestudy documentation:  $204, which includes:

--Medical reports from physician:  $40

--Fingerprinting:  $80

--MVA records:  $24

--County Code Inspector:  $60

--Books/materials:  $300

--Profile books (two for agency, one for us):  $120

--Postage (mostly overnighting important documents):  $200

--Travel to and from our agency (assuming a wait-time of three years and 25 mpg):  $150

--Annual Updates (assuming a three year wait):  $1,932, which includes:

--Fee charged by agency:  $500/year

--Fingerprinting:  $80/year

--MVA records:  $24/year

--Medical reports from physician:  $40/year

--Legal fees for birth certificate, guardianship, placement, and final legal adoption:  $1,000-$3,000

--Professional photographs to send to birthparents once a year for the first five years (an agency requirement):  $750-$1,000

--Mediated visit fees, post-placement:  $2,000-$4,000

There are sources of funding out there, such as support from Jason’s employer and from our church, but we can’t apply for those until after placement.  There are also adoption grants, but most of those won’t become clear until post-adoption, as they depend on the specific circumstances of the adoption.  We (ok, this is mostly Jason’s realmJ) are working on researching these sources so that we are ready to apply for them when the time comes!

2013 Stats

At our “waiting families support group” meeting last week, we learned about the statistics and trends that our agency saw in 2013.  Here are the highlights:

--20 children were placed in 2013.  Of these 20, ten were boys and ten were girls.  Ten were Caucasian, six were African American, three were biracial, and one was Hispanic.  Almost all of them were infants or young toddlers.

--The majority of birthmothers in 2013 only received intermittent prenatal care.

--The most common drugs used by birthmothers in 2013 were cigarettes and marijuana.

--The number of waiting families at any given time is typically 25-30. 

--Our agency placed children with a number of long-time waiting families in 2013, and so the average wait-time of the current waiting families is just over one year.

How can you be praying for us?

--Pray that the Lord would continue to prepare us to be parents, both emotionally and practically

--Pray that the Lord would smooth over any timing and work/home transition issues when the time comes

--Pray for the birthparents of our future child, that the Lord would be surrounding them with a good support system that they can use when the time comes to place their child for adoption