Have you always dreamed of being a mother, experiencing the warmth and joy only a family can provide? You should consider looking into adoption centers. Even now there are thousands of children in adoption agencies waiting to be brought into a loving home, with an estimated 153 million orphans around the world struggling on the streets or being taken care of at local adoption centers. If you’re curious about adoption programs and wish to learn more about how they function, as well as whether or not you’d be a perfect fit, take a look below to learn more.
What Are Adoption Centers?
An adoption agency is an institution that focuses on the well-being, caretaking and eventual adoption of children by the state. The majority of adoption centers are private and domestic, while an estimated 37% are focused on foster care. Over 85% of foster families adopted to provide a child with a permanent home, while 61% adopted to specifically extend their families. Yet another 39% chose to adopt because they’re infertile, with another 24% adopting to give their child a sibling. Half of all foster home children lived with their family before being given to an adoption agency.
How Many Children Are In Foster Homes?
You could be a beacon of hope in a child’s life. As of recent years the United States has seen more than 58,000 children in the foster care system either placed in institutions or group homes — overall, nearly 400,000 children are living without permanent families in the foster care system. One-fifth of these children are eligible for adoption, but around 30% of these children will have to wait for three years in foster care before being adopted. Around 49% of all adopted children are male, with another 41% adopted by their relatives.
Why Are Children In Adoption Centers?
There are many reasons why a child is brought into an adoption agency. Around the world there are tens of millions of orphans who have lost one parent, with many more who have lost both and have had no choice but to be taken in by adoption centers in lieu of living on the streets. Despite this, many children are without homes and supervision, drastically increasing their risk for malnutrition, disease and debilitating emotional health. Knowing what these children go through on their way to a loving home, studies have been further conducted to analyze the relationship between parents and adoptees.
Who Adopts Foster Children?
While families come in many different shapes and sizes, there are patterns to who is most likely to take a new child under their wing. A majority 70% of people who adopt are married families, while 22% are single women. Less than 7% are to unmarried couples and single men, combined. It’s been found that 25% of youth aging out did not have a high school diploma or GED, with a mere 6% having finished a two or four year degree after leaving foster care. An additional study showed 70% of all youth in foster care having the desire to attend college in the future. It’s important to analyze these statistics to better assess whether or not you would be a good fit for a foster child.
Am I Fit To Adopt A Child?
Adopting a child is a massive undertaking. You are bringing a unique individual into your life and sharing your dreams with them, giving them what they couldn’t get in an adoption agency or foster home. Studies have been conducted to gauge the results of adoption throughout the country and the results have been more than promising — half of all parents said they ‘coped very well’ with the demands of parenting, while 42% of relationships were said to be ‘better than ever expected’. The U.S. State Department saw American families adopting over 7,000 children back in 2012. Will you be part of the change?
