In May 2014, the Fostering Youth Success Alliance (formerly YICC) released its preliminary report, “Fostering
Independence: The Need for a Statewide Foster Youth College Success Initiative.” In it, we detailed the low rates
of college-going among young people who have spent time in the foster care system in New York; highlighted the
challenges that prevent many foster youth from attending and succeeding in college; and examined what states
across the country are doing to help foster youth acquire the necessary post-secondary education to lead promising,
independent lives. We found that New York is well behind the curve in providing meaningful financial, educational,
and social supports to foster youth in college, and recommended investment in a statewide college success initiative
for all its foster youth.

This fact sheet discusses some of the emotional issues that parents may face after making the
decision to place an infant for adoption, in surrendering the child, and in handling the
feelings that often persist afterwards. It may be a helpful resource for birth parents as well as
family members, friends, and others who want to support birth parents. It may also provide insight
to adopted persons and adoptive parents who want to understand the struggles faced by birth parents.

The landscape for LGBT adoption is changing, with an increasing number of LGBT individuals and couples choosing
to build families through adoption. Many agencies, both public and private, welcome the LGBT community. Leading child welfare
organizations believe that prospective LGBT parents are an excellent resource for children and youth in need of a permanent
family.1 However, specific challenges continue to face many LGBT prospective adoptive parents; they vary depending on
where you live and whether you adopt as a single person or a couple.

It is common for adoptive families to need support and services after adoption. Postadoption services can help families with a wide range of issues. They are available for everything
from learning how to explain adoption to a preschooler, to helping a child who experienced early childhood abuse, to supporting an
adopted teen’s search for identity. Experience with adoptive families has shown that all family members can benefit from some type of
postadoption support. Families of children who have experienced trauma, neglect, abuse, out-of home care, or institutionalization may require
more intensive services.

A growing number of employers offer benefits
to adoptive parents. In 1990, a survey by
Hewitt Associates found that only 12 percent of
employers surveyed offered some kind of adoption
benefits; by 2004, a Hewitt survey of 936 major
U.S. employers showed that the percentage had
grown to 39 percent, with an average maximum
reimbursement of $3,879 for adoption expenses.

Prospective adoptive parents may be concerned about the costs of adopting a child and their ability to meet those costs. Becoming a parent is rarely free of expenses—pregnancy and childbirth can be expensive and even more so without adequate insurance—and adoptive parents may be faced with initial costs that seem challenging. However, with planning and knowledge about the different types of adoptions and available resources, they can develop a budget to include most of the foreseeable expenses. This factsheet explains these expenses so that prospective adoptive parents can make informed decisions throughout the adoption process.

Are you pregnant and thinking about placing your baby for adoption? Being well-informed may help you feel better about whatever decision you make—whether it is to place your child for adoption or to parent your child yourself. This factsheet provides information about adoption, presents questions to consider, and points to resources that may help you in exploring your options. Others who are affected by adoption decisions, such as expectant fathers and other relatives, also may find this factsheet useful for answering their questions.