Basic Information - The Beginning

Questions to first ask yourself and your family...

  1. Do I or others in my family think race could or would be a problem? (See Transracial Adoption)
  2. What age child or children can I bring into my home?
  3. How many children do I have room for?
  4. Should I consider International adoption? (See International Vs. Domestic and Country Comparison)
  5. Do I want a boy or a girl? Or both?
  6. Am I open to any Special Needs?
  7. How did you choose your agency/orphanage? (See Questions to Ask)

Questions you must be able to answer "Yes" to...

  1. Do you currently have a bedroom that will eventually be the child's room or a room that can be shared with one other child?
  2. Are you at least 30 years old?
  3. If you are married (not required), have you been married at least 5 years?
  4. Are you heterosexual? Or if homosexual, NOT living with your partner and comfortable with leaving your partner COMPLETELY out of the paperwork and interviews?
  5. Do you make more than $17,000 a year?
  6. Are you prepared to raise a child of a different color/culture? If your family is not willing to accept the child's color/culture, are you capable of or prepared to handle that?

 

NEXT!

If you don't have a Yahoo! ID, get one.  Then join the below group (groups.yahoo.com):

HaitianAngels*
  General discussion on ALL Haitian Adoptions

If this website can't answer your questions or you need a fast response, these guys are the best!

 

THEN!!!

Pick an orphanage and begin your paperchase!

The Homestudy is the first part. Remember that Homestudies are only good for 12 months. That means your entire dossier needs to be submitted to your orphanage no less than 5 months prior to expiration. As a rule of thumb, your dossier should completely done and submitted to your agency/orphanage within 3-4 months of starting to compile it.

Word of reccommendation: Do not submit your US Government I-600A form until you have submitted your dossier. Your homestudy agency will probably reccommend you send it ASAP. To prevent having to have your Federal fingerprints re-done and re-filing your I-600A, wait to submit it.

 

Related Information:

  1. Myths and Realities of Adoption *(PDF)
    A handy reference in Q&A format, perfect for sharing with others.

  2. The Truth About Domestic Adoption*: by Eliza Newlin Carney. (PDF)
    Misconceptions about domestic adoption abound. The author confronts the myth that domestic adoption is rare, expensive, and risky with her own experience and the facts. Includes statistics about the cost and timing of domestic and international adoption.

  3. About the Homestudy