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Adoption Wait Times

One of the biggest obstacles in the path of hopeful adoptive parents is a long adoption wait. There are three key ways that we work to reduce your adoption wait time so that you can fulfill your dreams of adopting.

Family is forever, but your wait doesn’t have to be.

Here’s the problem: Without knowing the questions to ask to protect themselves, a family may unknowingly join a professional who promises a low waiting time, only to wait years, or longer, or never complete their adoption. In over 30 years of providing adoption services, we have worked with many families who have turned to us after experiencing this type of disappointment. And we don't want that to happen to you.

With American Adoptions, our average adoption wait time is 9-12 months. The are three key things to know about this short adoption wait time. And if you are still considering which adoption professional to work with, these three things will help you verify whether or not the adoption wait times you hear are true or false.

Click here to schedule a free consultation with our adoption coordinators. 

1: Marketing Directly Impacts Waiting Time

Most prospective birth parents find adoption agencies and adoptive families through Google. That means:

  • Low marketing = long waits

  • Low marketing = families may never complete their adoption

We put significant resources toward reaching women considering adoption so that you can have a short adoption wait. This chart shows American Adoptions marketing compared to 25 other professionals’ marketing combined, using independent data from verified analytics software. If an organization with much less marketing reach promises similar or lower wait times, it's worth asking how that's possible.  

"I was talking to my sister, 'You know, they tell everyone it could be a year or longer… but I don't know if I am prepared for that, if I've really come to terms with how it could be a long process’ — but literally, two hours later, we got the call. "

- Adoptive Mother Jenna, on our short wait times. More on her story here.

2: Unlicensed Professionals Can Lie about Their Wait Times and Costs 

You deserve to be safe and secure in your adoption process. Unfortunately, unlicensed adoption professionals are allowed to exist in several states, even though they are illegal in most other states.

Being unlicensed means that a neutral government body does not monitor or confirm their business practices

We have seen families trust in unlicensed professionals and pay the price for it — and that price is steep. Not only have they lost finances, but they have also lost time enduring long waits. And in some cases, they have even lost their dream of becoming a family. Nothing matters more than the future of your family, and we don't want to see this happen to you. The best way to ensure your adoption is safe, ethical and successful is to work with a fully licensed adoption agency.

To learn more, here are two other articles on unlicensed professionals:

3:  National Adoption Agencies Have More Accurate Wait Time Estimates

Local adoption levels change drastically from year to year. That’s why national adoption agencies can offer more accurate wait times. With a larger scope, you can feel more confident in your adoption.

No matter what path brought you to adoption, we know this is true: You have waited long enough for your family.

You deserve to hear those words you have waited for, “Mom” or “Dad.” And you shouldn’t have to deal with inaccurate, long wait times on the most important journey of your life.

You can click here to take your next steps toward becoming a family.

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need to retain our own attorney?

No, American Adoptions has established relationships with some of the best adoption attorneys in the nation. Because adoption laws vary from state to state and between counties, it is important to utilize the services of an adoption attorney who specializes in the state where the adoption will finalize, which is unknown until you match with an expectant mother. You have the right to retain your own attorney, but doing so may be an additional, unnecessary expense.

Can we choose the gender of our baby?

American Adoptions does not allow gender specificity in adoption. Any family who wishes to be gender-specific in their adoption should contact us at 1-800-ADOPTION and ask about the possibility of an exception waiver before taking any other steps toward adoption with our agency. Any families who do receive an exception to be gender-specific may also incur an additional fee, which helps cover the additional advertising costs of such a request.

Please note that gender specificity will likely increase your wait time significantly.

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