How many people want to adopt each year

Today, most statistics available about adoption are being gathered by private organizations, such as universities and foundations. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of requires states to collect information about the adoptions of children in public foster care , but these are the only adoption-related statistics regularly reported by governments. Even when the federal government was trying to keep track, during the three decades after World War II, adoption statistics were incomplete.

They never included informal adoptions, which were beyond the reach of law and uncountable by definition. The summary data that did exist tended to obscure trends that were as important as total figures. How many children were adopted by relatives and how many by strangers? How many were arranged independently or by agencies? How many involved infants or adolescents? What factors explain regional and state differences in the past and present?

Why, for example, are adoption rates in Wyoming and Alaska higher today than in California, Delaware, and Texas? Have any or all of these patterns changed over time? We can guess, but usually on the basis of partial or non-existent numbers. We know one thing with certainty on the basis of historical statistics. Adoptions were rare, even at the height of their popularity, around What is paradoxical is that adoptions have become rarer during the past several decades, just they have become more visible.

A total of approximately , children have been adopted annually in the United States in recent years, a sharp drop since the century-long high point of , adoptions in They range in age from infants to 21 years old in some states.

The average age of a child in foster care is more than 8 years old, and there are slightly more boys than girls. Children and youth enter foster care because they have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by their parents or guardians. All of these children have experienced loss and some form of trauma. The median amount of time that a child spends in foster care is just over a year.

More than half of the children in foster care will be reunified with their parents or primary caregivers, and nearly one-quarter will be adopted, many by their foster parents. Our large, caring staff is able to assist you seven days a week and provide you with one-on-one counseling about your pregnancy and available options. You should choose an adoption agency where you feel completely comfortable with their services and staff. With American Adoptions, you will work with an Adoption Specialist who is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Adoption Specialist will be your advocate and will provide support and guidance as you create an adoption plan that is right for you. Each family has their own style of introducing adoption to the child.

When you are matched with an adoptive family, you can ask them this question. If you would like your Adoption Specialist to discuss it for you, just let her know. He or she can share your wishes or provide good ideas from other adoptive families.

You will also be able to share what you want your baby to know about you. You can complete a keepsake booklet to share hobbies, stories, photos of you and your family and a letter to your baby. The adoptive family can provide this to your child as he or she grows older.

Be as creative as you like! Some birth mothers have even knitted a special blanket as a gift to their baby or given a similar symbol of their love. The father of your baby can fill out the birth father's keepsake booklet or write a letter too. You may have other family members who would also like to share photos or a letter to the baby. This is your opportunity to pass on your and your family's love and to share your personality, history and reasons for choosing adoption.

The adoptive family will treasure whatever information you provide and will share it with the baby at an appropriate age. In most adoptive homes, the word adoption is in the child's vocabulary early on, and adoption is celebrated in their lives. While not every woman who chooses adoption is a young mother, many are. Through adoption, many young women have found an ability to give their babies the best life possible, while finding the opportunity to realize their own dreams, as well.

Do adoption terms and phrases leave you feeling confused? Child adoption facts show that over 90 percent of adoptees ages 5 and older have positive feelings about their adoption.

Most adopted children are raised in happy homes by loving adoptive parents, so why would an adopted child hate his birth parents, the ones who provided him with a great life? Want more proof? Read how adoptees Scott and Jennifer feel about their birth parents.

At one time, this was not a misconception at all — it was reality. For years, many people thought adoption was easier for all involved if the birth mother went on with her life not knowing anything about her child. However, current adoption statistics reveal that this is not the truth — and that every member of the adoption triad prefers more openness in adoption.

Today, most adoption professionals agree an open adoption creates healthy relationships between each party. Keeping in contact with the adoptive family gives a birth mother the peace of mind that she made the right decision by placing the child in a loving home.

It reminds her that she can feel good about her decision , instead of hiding her story in shame. At American Adoptions, percent of prospective birth mothers have the right to choose the amount of openness in the adoptive relationship. Each birth mother will select the family that is open to her desires, and she will always have the chance to get to know those adoptive parents prior to placing her child with them.

For more information about our open adoption policies, please request free information online. Fortunately, the adoption world has changed: Today, 99 percent of adopted children ages 5 and older know that they were adopted. Rest assured that nearly all adopted children know the story of where they came from and who they are — and your child will, too. American Adoptions, like other adoption professionals, emphasizes this importance to adoptive parents and will only move forward with those who can make this commitment.

And, thanks to open adoption, you will be able to share your adoption story with your child on your own terms. Sadly, there are some persistent stereotypes out there about the women who consider adoption for their babies, leading some expectant mothers to worry that choosing adoption is wrong or that it makes them a bad person.

In fact, United States adoption statistics suggest that birth mothers are among some of the strongest, bravest and most successful members of society. Just take a look at these adoption facts and statistics about birth mothers:. Family Planning Perspectives, Jan. If you plan on raising an adopted child, you should be ready for all the nuances involved.

This false misconception stems from the many inaccurate stereotypes about birth mothers. This is untrue. The national average for non-adopted children is 82 percent, according to The National Center for Health Statistics, making adoptees slightly healthier on average than those who are not adopted!