Processing Time

Once an adoptive family is approved to enter the placing pool of families, the wait time for placement cannot be predicted. Most birth parents ask to select the adoptive family for their child. A family may be selected immediately upon entering the pool or may wait two years or longer.

Children Available

Primarily newborn infants will be available. However, the children may occasionally be up to 12 months of age. Gender preferences cannot be honored for the domestic program.

Interstate Compact

There are laws concerning the transportation of children from one state to another for foster care or adoption. Approval for the placement must be given by the Compact Office in both states (the state of the child’s birth and the state of the adoptive parents’ residence). This process cannot be initiated until the child is born. Therefore, the adoptive parents should expect to remain in the state of the child’s birth while awaiting Compact approval. This normally takes less than one week but may take longer depending upon the states involved. Adoptive parents need to plan for this stay.

Parents' Ages

The minimum age can vary by state, but the general requirement is for both applicants to be at least 25 years old.

Marriage Status

Applications are accepted for couples who have been married at least two years. Single applicants are not accepted. No more than one divorce per parent is accepted.

Children in Family

Children in the home must be at least 12 months of age and have been in the home a minimum of twelve months prior to the beginning of a home study for another child. It is expected that a couple is not actively engaged in treatment for infertility during the adoption process.

Income

Families must be able to show that they can financially provide for a child. A family’s income and full financial status will be evaluated as part of the adoption process.

Criminal History

Applicants who have been arrested and convicted of a crime in the past five years (including DUI and DWI) will not be considered. Criminal history in the last 5-10 years will be considered on a case by case basis.

Medical History

Applicants and their child(ren) must be in good mental and physical health with normal life expectancy, as determined by the applicant(s) physician. Applicants must be physically able to care for a child.

Travel

Both parents must be willing to travel to the state where the birthparent is residing for meetings with her/him prior to the birth of a child and for the birth and placement upon discharge from the hospital. Parents who live outside the state of the child’s birth will be required to comply with the Interstate Compact requirements regarding the placement as outlined above and may not leave the state with the child until approval has been issued by the Interstate Compact offices in both states.

Be sure to visit our Financing Adoption page to learn how to reduce or eliminate your adoption expenses!