Latest cost & timing survey results; transracial adoption webinar.

View this email in your browser

Welcome to the first Adoptive Families Insider newsletter! I’ll be sending adoption news and updates from AF, as well as special access to resources and features just for the adoption community.

News from the 2016 Adoption Cost & Timing Survey

Each year, Adoptive Families polls over a thousand newly formed families across the country to find out how long it took them to adopt and how much they spent from beginning to end. The survey results will appear in the new issue of Adoptive Families, coming out later this week, but here's a pre-publication sneak preview for you, your staff, and your families as well as a link to download the full 29-page special report on Adoption Cost & Timing. This report makes a great introduction to adoption for anyone just starting out—it’s our gift to you. We hope you share it widely

Spoiler alert: Most families continue to adopt within two years, as they have in the past. Domestic adoption costs rose slightly (though many families adopting through U.S. foster care still report $0 in total expenses). International adoption costs remained higher, on average, than domestic, but decreased slightly for the top three sending countries. Find the averages by route below.

$2,811

Average U.S. foster adoption cost

$38,063

Average domestic newborn adoption cost

$42,281

Average international adoption cost

Growing Up as a Transracial Adoptee:
What Parents Need to Know

Spread the word about the free webinar with Deborah H. Johnson this Thursday, May 19, from 1-2pm ET.
Register now >

INSIDER TIPS: Seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis for our live webinars, and we have a high volume of registrations for this one. Sign in about 15 minutes early to increase your chance of securing a spot. Can't attend? Don't worry—thanks to our sponsor, Adoption by Shepherd Care, this webinar's recording will remain free, so you can listen at any time.

If your staff or client families attend the webinar and need confirmation for training hours, please email Eve Gilman after the webinar ends to request that. (NB: this will not be a formal CEU.)

To inquire about presenting a webinar contact Eve Gilman

Interested in sponsoring a webinar? Contact Anne Mazza

We are looking forward to sharing the new Adoptive Families with you later this week

It's packed with stories you and your client families will want to read, including:

Attaching through mealtimes, cuddles,
games, and fun
The adoption process through the expectant mother's eyes
Embracing "older" parenthood
Healing after a failed adoption match—
why family is worth the emotional risks
Ensuring parental rights in LGBT families
Two perspectives on China's One-Child Policy
Results from Adoptive Families' annual Adoption Cost & Timing Survey
and much more

Along with new content, the issue brings a more mobile-friendly reading experience—no more zooming and panning to read a "page" on a smartphone screen!

That's it for the first edition of the Adoptive Families Insider.

Before I end, I have a request. We'd like to hear from all of you adoption professionals about the state of adoption from your perspective. What is the biggest challenge that you face? What do you see for the future? Send me an email. I’ll assemble the results and circulate them to everyone next month.

Anne Mazza