When you’re starting the process of adopting a child there are many decisions to make. One of the most important decisions for our family was whether to choose open or closed adoption. I contacted a friend with experience in both, inquired about the positives and negatives of each. I’m a list maker, so I compiled a large list of pros and cons for this topic. Ultimately, we chose open adoption for our family and we have been fortunate that our birth mothers have as well.
I put together a list of the top five open adoption agencies in the US to help you with your research.
Lifetime adoption is an ever-changing agency. They provide placement services in most states and have added many agencies in various states in recent months. They provide photo listings, video presentations, support and promote open adoption, share updates on their “Lifetime Babies”, and provide services to biological families and adoptive families. Their website provides listings of potential adoptable children, as well as, potential adoptive families.
Gladney Adoptions has a well-appointed website that provides a lot of information and invaluable resources for all parties in the adoption triad. They have mostly open adoptions and they offer post-adoption support for people involved in domestic adoption, international adoption, and foster care adoption. They also offer support for birth parents and adoptees.
Heart to Heart Adoptions offers full counseling and staff for every step of the adoption process. Heart to Heart Adoptions offers free services to all potential birth families. The agency hopes to ease all your burdens by helping with pregnancy-related and household expenses during the adoption process. In addition, they will help and guide you to find the perfect family for you and your child.
Adoptions with Love provides services for all aspects of the adoption triad. They provide ongoing support for open adoptions by facilitating picture and letter exchanges between the biological and adoptive families. They provide pre and post-adoption support for birth parents and adoptive parents.
- Your Local Agency
As with any process, the best place to start looking for an open adoption agency is word of mouth. Join local support groups, use your social media to reach out to friends, or friends of friends. Deciding everything doesn’t have to happen right away. There are varying levels of openness and you will find the best route for your family.
