A huge CONGRATS to the awesome people at Heart of Adoptions, which was just ranked as a Top 10 domestic adoption agency (and the only agency who is not in multiple states)!!
https://adopttogether.org/top-10-domestic-agencies/
Top 10 Domestic Agencies
Adopting, Adoption Professionals, Domestic Adoption
We at AdoptTogether, alongside our adoption consultant Chloe Briggs, have compiled what we hope to be a helpful list of agencies that specialize in domestic adoption (in no particular order).
DISCLAIMER: This list is in no way a comprehensive list of all the good adoption agencies in the US. There are plenty of great agencies out there that are not on our list and we kept it to the top 10 simply for the sake of providing parents with a concise list.
We made our selections based on our research of each agency’s reputation, efficiency, and reviews from adoptive parents. Each agency is COA & Hague approved. Best of luck to you and your family as you find the best fit for your needs!
1. Bethany Christian Services
http://www.bethany.org/
· Headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI
· Offices in 37 states
· Pro: A great emphasis on birth mother care
· Con: Due to their corporate structure and size, interactions can be less personal than other smaller agencies.
· Agency Description: “Bethany Christian Services is a global nonprofit organization that brings families together and keeps families together. Strengthening families for the well-being of children is our top priority. Our services include adoption, foster care, and pregnancy counseling. We also provide counseling to families, assist refugees and immigrants resettling in the U.S., and partner with several international countries to help keep families together. The work we do equips families to be the answer for children in need—as Christ intended.”
2. Gladney Center for Adoption
http://adoptionsbygladney.com/
· Offices in TX, NY, PA, AZ, OK, FL, but will work with families outside those states who have a cooperating home study
· Headquartered in Fort Worth, TX
· Pro: A longstanding reputation for quality adoptive care for over 125 years
· Con: Higher fees on average
· Agency Description: “For more than125 years Gladney has been a pioneer and leading voice for improving the lives of children, adoptive families and birth parents. With unwavering commitment, through good economic times and bad, we have focused on our mission and made a difference in the lives of birth parents, families and children here and around the world.”
3. Christian Family Adoptions
https://www.christianfamilyadoptions.org/
· Headquartered in Portland, OR
· Offices in OR and WA, but will work with families outside those states who have a cooperating home study
· Pro: Experienced adoption professionals of over 60 years
· Con: Only licensed in 2 states
· Agency Description: “Christian Family Adoptions is a private, nonprofit child placing agency with physical offices in Portland and Redmond, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington and virtual offices nationwide. We can provide services for birth parents and adoptive parents across the United States. We pride ourselves in being family oriented and a strong supporter of community initiatives which ensure children are in safe and nurturing homes. We have been placing children in adoptive homes since 1958 and have been dedicated to our cause ever since. Though we advocate for open adoptions in most cases, we recognize some birth parents have a need for limited contact and privacy. We completely support and honor whatever decision is made.”
4. Nightlight
https://www.nightlight.org/
· Offices in 7 states: CO, CA, OK, MO, GA, SC, KY
· Headquartered in Santa Ana, CA
· Pro: Offers embryo adoption program in addition to domestic infant adoption
· Con: Communication can be slow
· Agency Description: “Nightlight Christian Adoptions is a full-service, Hague accredited child placement agency. In 1997 we pioneered the first embryo adoption program, Snowflakes Embryo Adoption offering this unique adoption choice to families. Couples with remaining embryos now have the option to choose the family who receives their embryo donation gift. The embryo adopting family gives birth to their adopted child…Amazing! Nightlight programs also include comprehensive International, Foster care, Domestic and Homestudy services.”
5. American Adoptions
http://www.americanadoptions.com/
· Every state but NY and NJ
· Headquartered in Overland Park, KS
· Pro: Present in 49 states
· Con: Large domestic infant program which generally means longer wait times
· Agency Description: “Completing more than 300 domestic adoptions each year, American Adoptions is currently one of the largest domestic adoption agencies of its kind in the United States. We are a fully licensed, not-for-profit domestic adoption agency that works across the nation. In this day and age of unlicensed adoption facilitators and illegal adoption placements, adoptive families and expectant mothers have come to trust only licensed adoption professionals, such as American Adoptions, with their adoption dreams.”
6. Heart of Adoption, Inc.
http://www.heartofadoption.com
· Has 5 offices in FL, but will work with families outside of FL
· Headquartered in Tamps, FL
· Pro: Works will all types of families
· Con: Communication can be slow
· Agency Description: “At Heart of Adoptions Inc., our primary mission is to create families through adoption. However, we take this one step further by ensuring that all our clients: expectant parents, their children, and hopeful adoptive families, are treated as individuals with unique needs, situations, and emotions. We believe in flexibility, respect, and confidentiality.”
7. WACAP (World Association for Children & Parents)
http://www.wacap.org/
· Offices in WA, NY, WI, but will work with families outside of those states
· Headquartered in Renton, WA
· Pro: Specialize in adoptions of older children from foster care
· Con: Do not offer a domestic infant program
· Agency Description: “WACAP’s vision is: a family for every child. WACAP is a leading adoption and humanitarian aid agency. Since 1976, we’ve placed over 11,000 children with loving adoptive parents and provided food, medical care and education to more than 200,000 children worldwide. WACAP is one of the largest and most experienced international nonprofit adoption and child assistance agencies in the United States.”
8. Spence-Chapin
https://www.spence-chapin.org/
· Offices in NY, NJ, CT
· Headquartered in New York, NY
· Pro: Works will all types of families
· Con: Can be slow to communicate
· Agency Description: Spence-Chapin’s roots can be traced to the early 1900s and the pioneering work of Clara Spence, and Dr. and Mrs. Henry Chapin, who independently established nurseries out of concern for homeless infants abandoned in hospitals and shelters. The Spence and Chapin nurseries each broke new ground in developing social work techniques for adoption and, after the merger, continued to pioneer in the adoption field. Today, Spence-Chapin is proud of our role as a prominent voice and leading advocate for adoption, and of our commitment to the well being of all members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adoptive parents, and their children.
9. Barker Adoption Foundation
http://www.barkeradoptionfoundation.org/
· Offices in Washington DC, MD, VA
· Headquartered in Bethesda, MD
· Pro: Works with all types of families
· Con: High staff turnover
· Agency Description: Ruth and Richard Barker, themselves adoptive parents, founded the agency in Washington, D.C., in 1945 in response to a request from the U.S. Navy Department to address the needs of pregnant WAVES (“Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service”). The Barker structure was formalized in 1951 when it was incorporated as the nation’s first cooperative adoption agency. To date Barker has placed more than 7,000 children into the welcoming arms of adoptive parents and provided counseling and related support services to more than 30,000 women and their families who are considering placing a child for adoption.
10. Faithful Adoption Consultants
http://www.faithfuladoptionconsultants.com/
· Works with families nationwide
· Headquartered in Atlanta, GA
· A “referral service”/adoptive family advocates (not an agency)
· Network a family’s profile with several licensed agencies
· Pro: Families tend to get faster results and much more support
· Con: Families often incur additional fees for their services
· Agency Description: “We strive to guide our families with honesty and integrity as we walk through the rewarding, and sometimes hard journey of adoption. We love to celebrate each and every joy, but are also there to encourage and love BIG on the days this process is overwhelming and discouraging. We each have a God given desire to walk alongside adoptive parents as they wait on the Lord to grow their families through adoption. God has also given each of us a heart for birth moms. We desire to see adoption brought full circle by encouraging our adoptive parents to build Christ honoring relationships with their birth families.”