1--Adoption Tax CreditA federal income tax credit up to $10,000 (per child adopted) is allowable in the tax year in which an adoption is completed for families who meet income guidelines. For detailed information, order Publication 968 from the IRS at 800-829-3676 or download it from the Internet at
http://%20www.irs.gov/
Many employers will help with costs by reimbursing adoption expenses with a cash benefit of up to several thousand dollars. If your employer does not offer this benefit, call Adoption and the Workplace at the National Adoption Center (800-862-3678) for materials to guide you in requesting adoption assistance from your employer.
Also, ask for the complete listing of employers who do offer adoption benefits
2--Subsidies for Military Families Assistance to active members of the military who are adopting a child. See your base information officer. Also, the I.N.S. standard for "income guidelines" are more relaxed for military families. (civilian familes meeting a criteria of 125% above poverty guidelines and military families - 100%).
3--A Child Waits Foundation
A resource for international adoption financing for those seeking adoption loans and adoption grants http://www.achildwaits.org/index.html
866 999-2445 (866 999-child)
FAX: 518 794-6243
1136 Barker Rd, Pittsfield, MA 01201
cnelson@achildwaits.org
4--ABBA Fund
http:http://www.abbafund.org/
PO Box 78800
Charlotte, NC 28271-7042
The ABBA Fund provides interest-free covenant loans to Christian couples who are called by God to expand their families through adoption and who need help with the "cash flow crunch" posed by adoption expenses
5--NATIONAL ADOPTION FOUNDATION (NAF)
http://www.nafadopt.org/
100 Mill Plain Road
Danbury, CJ 06811
203-791-3811
Loan programs are open for any expense an adoptive family may have before, during or after their adoption is finalized. The NAF offers the Adoption Assistance Loan through American General Financial Services. This is actually a general credit-based loan that can be used for any purpose once the funds are dispersed to you. You can apply online at http://www.nafadopt.org/loanprograms.htm
6--OXFORD ADOPTION FOUNDATION
Telephone:
239/430-6240
Fax:
239/430-4663
Address:
4309 Crayton Rd. Naples, FL 34103
E-mail:
info@oxfordadopt.com
Oxford offers no interest or low interest loans for international adoptions, based upon financial need. Oxford will generally lend up to $5,000 per child, up to a maximum of $10,000.
7--LIFE INTERNATIONAL
http://www.lifeintl.org/
PO Box 40
202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744
309-747-3556
info@lifeintl.org
Life International encourages Christian couples to adopt a child by relieving some of the financial burden of international and domestic adoption. They offer Interest-Free Loans.
Disclaimer: All of the following information is verified as accurate as of March 4, 2009. We are not responsible for any inaccurate information and posting this does not guarantee you any financial assistance into any particular program.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Adoption Authority Expands!!
News Update!
The word came today from the DCF licensing board. The Adoption Authority is officially licensed as a Child Placing Agency per Florida Administrative Code 65C-15, allowing us to provide private adoption services in the state of Florida. We are already licensed in the state of Georgia.
Our website will be changing soon and we will be accepting parent profiles for birth mothers to review.
Adoptive families, please email me at tracy@theadoptionauthority.com if you are interested in posting your profile to our website.
Birth mothers, please email me at tracy@theadoptionauthority.com if you are interested in letting us help you with an adoption plan.
The word came today from the DCF licensing board. The Adoption Authority is officially licensed as a Child Placing Agency per Florida Administrative Code 65C-15, allowing us to provide private adoption services in the state of Florida. We are already licensed in the state of Georgia.
Our website will be changing soon and we will be accepting parent profiles for birth mothers to review.
Adoptive families, please email me at tracy@theadoptionauthority.com if you are interested in posting your profile to our website.
Birth mothers, please email me at tracy@theadoptionauthority.com if you are interested in letting us help you with an adoption plan.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Balancing Work and Family
Whether you have children or are planning to in the future, there is a way to keep a healthy balance between work and family.
Like most women, the balance of your family and your career can be overwhelming. Here are 5 tips to guarantee success in every area of your life.
1—Start with routines: when you do the same thing over and over again, not only do you get really good at it, it becomes second nature. You can have several sets of routines for your entire day. It is helpful to write down everything you do, or need to do, to get to bed at a decent hour, to get out of the house in the morning without rushing, to get dinner on the table quickly and easily. I suggest writing out lists of what needs to be done at each section of your day. As we get older and more forgetful, it is helpful to have a reminder of what needs to be done. When you are rushing around, it is easy to forget something important.
2—Learn to say “NO”—we hear this all the time, but do we practice it? As women, we are people pleasers and we don’t like to upset others or feel like we have let someone down. Instead, we need to feel that way about ourselves. Think about how upset you would be if you add one more thing to “to do” list. Say no for your children as well—don’t let them be over involved in activities.
3—Be sure to schedule appointments to take care of yourself, whatever that might be. Whether it’s getting your annual physical, going to the dentist, or meeting your girlfriend for a day at the spa, you have to take care of yourself first in order to properly take care of the other people in your life. This may require creative networking on your part, if you have small children. Offer to swap babysitting services with another mom on your block.
4—Exercise has both physical and mental benefits. Even 15 minutes of exercise will cause the brain to release chemicals which will improve your mood and give you more energy throughout the day. The exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous; taking a walk in your neighborhood is a great idea. You may have to put the baby in the stroller or your older child on his/her bicycle. You won’t have to look very hard to find an excuse not to exercise.
5—Master Calendar to keep up with everyone’s schedule and appointments: How many times have you missed an event because you forgot or over committed you or your family? A master calendar will solve this problem. As soon as you get an invitation, announcement, or other event notice, put it on the calendar right away, and then throw it away! Record everything you need onto the calendar and throwing away the rest will help to eliminate clutter. Don’t stress over what type of calendar to use, just do what works best for you. What you use isn’t as important as just using it!
Balancing career and motherhood can be challenging. By implementing these strategies, you will be ahead of the game and enjoying everything that your life as to offer.
Like most women, the balance of your family and your career can be overwhelming. Here are 5 tips to guarantee success in every area of your life.
1—Start with routines: when you do the same thing over and over again, not only do you get really good at it, it becomes second nature. You can have several sets of routines for your entire day. It is helpful to write down everything you do, or need to do, to get to bed at a decent hour, to get out of the house in the morning without rushing, to get dinner on the table quickly and easily. I suggest writing out lists of what needs to be done at each section of your day. As we get older and more forgetful, it is helpful to have a reminder of what needs to be done. When you are rushing around, it is easy to forget something important.
2—Learn to say “NO”—we hear this all the time, but do we practice it? As women, we are people pleasers and we don’t like to upset others or feel like we have let someone down. Instead, we need to feel that way about ourselves. Think about how upset you would be if you add one more thing to “to do” list. Say no for your children as well—don’t let them be over involved in activities.
3—Be sure to schedule appointments to take care of yourself, whatever that might be. Whether it’s getting your annual physical, going to the dentist, or meeting your girlfriend for a day at the spa, you have to take care of yourself first in order to properly take care of the other people in your life. This may require creative networking on your part, if you have small children. Offer to swap babysitting services with another mom on your block.
4—Exercise has both physical and mental benefits. Even 15 minutes of exercise will cause the brain to release chemicals which will improve your mood and give you more energy throughout the day. The exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous; taking a walk in your neighborhood is a great idea. You may have to put the baby in the stroller or your older child on his/her bicycle. You won’t have to look very hard to find an excuse not to exercise.
5—Master Calendar to keep up with everyone’s schedule and appointments: How many times have you missed an event because you forgot or over committed you or your family? A master calendar will solve this problem. As soon as you get an invitation, announcement, or other event notice, put it on the calendar right away, and then throw it away! Record everything you need onto the calendar and throwing away the rest will help to eliminate clutter. Don’t stress over what type of calendar to use, just do what works best for you. What you use isn’t as important as just using it!
Balancing career and motherhood can be challenging. By implementing these strategies, you will be ahead of the game and enjoying everything that your life as to offer.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Where do you start?
Just recently I attended a professional conference in Orlando, and I met a fellow social worker who shared with me about some of her friends who are just starting to gather information regarding adoption. Because she is a social worker, of course her friends went to her for information. They are already so overwhelmed at all of the information available regarding adoption....international vs domestic, private vs state, infants vs older children. My new social worker friend shared with me how frustrated (already) her friends are in the process. My heart goes out to this family, as I know that there are countless other families in the same situation! The information is very overwhelming, it is time consuming to wade through all of the legalities.
My suggestion is to start talking with everyone you know and reading all that you can and here's the important part--make notes as you go along. Meet with private agencies, adoption attorneys, consultants, and anyone else that can assist you with knowledge.
There are some great conferences held throughout the year in most states, attend some of those. Another great tip is to start early! Home studies take time and getting matched with a birth family takes time, and it can all add up to alot of time gone by!! It always takes longer than you expect it to.
I highly recommend getting started as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the sooner you will reach your ultimate goal of expanding your family through adoption.
My suggestion is to start talking with everyone you know and reading all that you can and here's the important part--make notes as you go along. Meet with private agencies, adoption attorneys, consultants, and anyone else that can assist you with knowledge.
There are some great conferences held throughout the year in most states, attend some of those. Another great tip is to start early! Home studies take time and getting matched with a birth family takes time, and it can all add up to alot of time gone by!! It always takes longer than you expect it to.
I highly recommend getting started as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the sooner you will reach your ultimate goal of expanding your family through adoption.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Adoption Home Study, Part II
Part I of this article was published on August 27, 2008. Hope you enjoy Part II:
Preparing for the home study visit(s): It can be absolutely overwhelming to think of a stranger coming into your home to “analyze” you and determine your worthiness of having a child. After all, people have babies all the time that are much less qualified to raise them. Early on, most families will become consumed with cleaning their home from top to bottom. While there is nothing wrong with having a super clean home, the social worker isn’t coming in with white gloves and looking under the beds for dust bunnies.
The home study is to assess you and your lifestyle in the areas of stability and financial solidity to ensure that a child placed in your home will be well cared for. You don’t have to be considerably wealthy in order to adopt a child, but you do have to show a pattern of being financially responsible with your income and your monthly debts. Families that have a large amount of debt may be encouraged to work towards reducing their debt in order to adopt. (This clinician has never denied a family due to debt, or known of families being denied due to large amounts of debt). It is not a freeze frame snapshot of your current situation of any area that is being reviewed; but rather a panoramic examination of many areas. Tax returns for the previous 3-5 years are provided to the home study provider, as well, to demonstrate a pattern of income.
It’s important to already have an idea of the age child you are interested in adopting. Babies or young children will have different needs than an older child. You may have to consider having additional locks on your exterior doors, especially if you have a pool or lake outside the back door. Steps may need a safety gate to prevent falls and to keep young toddlers out of dangerous areas. Outlets will need to be covered with protectors. It’s also good practice to have smoke detectors in each bedroom and in the main areas of y our home. A fire extinguisher is essential, kept in the kitchen or garage. Guns have to be locked away, and the ammunition kept in a separate location, also locked.
It is not necessary to have all of these things in place, especially if you are months away from being matched or placed with a child. It is necessary to have a good understanding of the development of the child you are interested in, in order to know what safety devices are crucial for you to have in place.
In 2006, The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was passed in order to establish a national registry of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect. In all states, there is a process established to have this registry consulted in order to determine if you have been involved with that state’s Department of Children and Family Services. The registry will have case-specific identifying information that is limited to the name of the perpetrator and the nature of the substantiated case(s) of child abuse and neglect.
In addition, you will need to consider who you would name as guardian of your minor child in the event of your death. You will need to provide the guardian’s name, contact information, and an explanation of why you chose that individual or couple. It is recommended that you go ahead and name these people in your will, if you have one. I was recently asked by a birth mother if she would get the child back if something were to happen to the adoptive parents. The answer is no. The adoptive parents will make this decision.
Most states require criminal background clearances on three levels, local, state, and federal. Arrests may show up on one, two or all three of these clearances. This doesn’t mean that if you’ve ever been arrested, you can’t be considered as a parent. The cause of the arrest is considered, as well as the length of time since the arrest. There is a considerable difference in writing bad checks ten years ago and assaulting your significant other just last year. While some states offer specific guidelines about what offenses will prevent you from adopting, a lot of states leave that decision up to the individual social worker. It is best to mention any questionable arrests in advance and try to get a sense of how the social worker will respond.
Other sections of the home study will include accessing the stability of the marriage, discipline plan, and how to nurture and celebrate the child’s culture if different from yours. Some agencies and/or countries require adoptive parents to take continuing education courses. If adopting from the foster care system, you may have to take a 20 hours class in advance of adopting. There are obviously many variables, depending on the state you live in, the country in which you want to adopt, and whether you are adopting from a private agency or foster care system.
Though the home study may seem overwhelming, if you can do your homework and be prepared, the process will go smoothly. The social worker or home study provider should be viewed as an ally. His/her job is to help prepare you for parenthood, which is the ultimate goal.
Preparing for the home study visit(s): It can be absolutely overwhelming to think of a stranger coming into your home to “analyze” you and determine your worthiness of having a child. After all, people have babies all the time that are much less qualified to raise them. Early on, most families will become consumed with cleaning their home from top to bottom. While there is nothing wrong with having a super clean home, the social worker isn’t coming in with white gloves and looking under the beds for dust bunnies.
The home study is to assess you and your lifestyle in the areas of stability and financial solidity to ensure that a child placed in your home will be well cared for. You don’t have to be considerably wealthy in order to adopt a child, but you do have to show a pattern of being financially responsible with your income and your monthly debts. Families that have a large amount of debt may be encouraged to work towards reducing their debt in order to adopt. (This clinician has never denied a family due to debt, or known of families being denied due to large amounts of debt). It is not a freeze frame snapshot of your current situation of any area that is being reviewed; but rather a panoramic examination of many areas. Tax returns for the previous 3-5 years are provided to the home study provider, as well, to demonstrate a pattern of income.
It’s important to already have an idea of the age child you are interested in adopting. Babies or young children will have different needs than an older child. You may have to consider having additional locks on your exterior doors, especially if you have a pool or lake outside the back door. Steps may need a safety gate to prevent falls and to keep young toddlers out of dangerous areas. Outlets will need to be covered with protectors. It’s also good practice to have smoke detectors in each bedroom and in the main areas of y our home. A fire extinguisher is essential, kept in the kitchen or garage. Guns have to be locked away, and the ammunition kept in a separate location, also locked.
It is not necessary to have all of these things in place, especially if you are months away from being matched or placed with a child. It is necessary to have a good understanding of the development of the child you are interested in, in order to know what safety devices are crucial for you to have in place.
In 2006, The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was passed in order to establish a national registry of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect. In all states, there is a process established to have this registry consulted in order to determine if you have been involved with that state’s Department of Children and Family Services. The registry will have case-specific identifying information that is limited to the name of the perpetrator and the nature of the substantiated case(s) of child abuse and neglect.
In addition, you will need to consider who you would name as guardian of your minor child in the event of your death. You will need to provide the guardian’s name, contact information, and an explanation of why you chose that individual or couple. It is recommended that you go ahead and name these people in your will, if you have one. I was recently asked by a birth mother if she would get the child back if something were to happen to the adoptive parents. The answer is no. The adoptive parents will make this decision.
Most states require criminal background clearances on three levels, local, state, and federal. Arrests may show up on one, two or all three of these clearances. This doesn’t mean that if you’ve ever been arrested, you can’t be considered as a parent. The cause of the arrest is considered, as well as the length of time since the arrest. There is a considerable difference in writing bad checks ten years ago and assaulting your significant other just last year. While some states offer specific guidelines about what offenses will prevent you from adopting, a lot of states leave that decision up to the individual social worker. It is best to mention any questionable arrests in advance and try to get a sense of how the social worker will respond.
Other sections of the home study will include accessing the stability of the marriage, discipline plan, and how to nurture and celebrate the child’s culture if different from yours. Some agencies and/or countries require adoptive parents to take continuing education courses. If adopting from the foster care system, you may have to take a 20 hours class in advance of adopting. There are obviously many variables, depending on the state you live in, the country in which you want to adopt, and whether you are adopting from a private agency or foster care system.
Though the home study may seem overwhelming, if you can do your homework and be prepared, the process will go smoothly. The social worker or home study provider should be viewed as an ally. His/her job is to help prepare you for parenthood, which is the ultimate goal.
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