Understanding Adoption Wait Times: A Family's Guide to Finding Your Child Faster
Waiting Times: What You Need to Know
"Before we joined American Adoptions, our other agency estimated 12-18 months. Three years later, we're still waiting."
Estimates are great, but make sure your professional avoids the four factors that lead to longer wait times.
Here’s how you avoid unnecessary delays.
#1: Avoiding Low Marketing Outreach
Only 1 out of every 100 women who initially consider adoption actually move forward. 95% start their search online, yet many agencies invest very little in actually being found.
|
How Well Agencies Connect |
Monthly Reach |
|
Your Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Excellent |
40,000-63,000 people |
|
6-18 months |
|
Good |
10,000-25,000 people |
|
2 - 4 years |
|
Limited |
Under 5,000 people |
|
3 - 10 years |
How We Do It Differently
We devote significant resources to marketing and outreach to find expectant mothers. That means more opportunities for everyone. This results in lower wait times and adoption matches that are more likely to result in a completed placement.
Many agencies accept too many families while connecting with less expectant mothers, creating ratios that lead to longer waits. This happens with both small agencies and larger national advertisers. Small agencies: They might have a list of 25 families, which sounds great, but not if their adoptions vary from 2 to 5 adoptions annually. This variation could average your wait to 5-10 years, far too long for most families. Larger national advertisers: They can have larger lists or hide their list numbers. Just be sure to ask the number of waiting families and the number of adoptions. When agencies overload their waiting lists without balancing expectant mother connections, desperate situations develop: How Our Ratios Look Different: Agencies that maintain balanced ratios ensure every family has realistic opportunities within reasonable timeframes, eliminating the desperation that leads to poor decision-making. #3: Professional Support That Shortens Your Wait Agencies with fewer than five full-time licensed social workers risk instability from turnover and burnout. Having at least five ensures consistent support throughout your process and protects against service disruptions when staff changes occur. Choose agencies licensed in multiple states rather than just one. This expands their network of expectant mothers nationwide, providing more consistent matching opportunities and reducing unpredictable wait times that single-state agencies often experience. Focus on finalized placements, not just home studies. Choose agencies with 500+ completed adoptions—this experience shows they can effectively support birth mothers, handle emotional challenges, and manage legal processes. Each birth mother envisions her child's ideal future: the right home environment, family structure, lifestyle fit, shared values, ongoing relationship, and hopes for what's ahead. Your agency’s staffing, licensing, and experience don’t just impact timelines—they directly affect the outcome of your adoption. When Support Falls Short: When Support Works: Proper support reduces disruptions and failed placements#2: Protection from the Dangerous Ratio Imbalance
The Hidden Problem Most Agencies Won't Discuss
What Happens When Ratios Are Imbalanced:
At Least 5 Full-Time Licensed Social Workers
Multi-State Licensing
500+ Completed Adoptions (Not Just Home Studies)
The American Adoptions Difference
When Support Falls Short vs. When It Works
4. New Laws and Their Impact.
Contact us today to see what your wait time could be.
Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.
