Adoption and Money

Today, with county budget woes mounting, and the available number of adoptable children staying at the same rate for basically 20 years, everyone involved in adoption with have to shift their priorities. Agencies will have to give parents a better chance at adopting, be it through early intervention with the birth mother and her care during the pregnancy, or a take a more understanding look at their past and future. Prospective parents will have to realize that no baby will ever be perfect, and that all these children are just like them inside. And birth mothers will have to think of the welfare of their child, instead of all the material things that aren’t as important.

Like most business problems, adoption’s are largely financial. Most adoptions cost between $5,000 to $25,000, and few subsidies are provided for middle-class families. Some agencies work on a siding scale, or do provide subsidies, but that is mostly used in the adoption of children from foster homes, who are already in the system. In all, there are about 500,000 children waiting to be adopted. Most are around 7 or 8, and their average stay in county care is 4 to 6 years. There is a growing problem with most agencies primary aim, which is to eliminate potential parents first, and then trying to steer the rest towards infant adoption, which takes 1 to 7 years. Adopting a toddler or young child takes about 4 to 18 months, and is just as rewarding. Instead of finding the best parent for the best child, these agencies give up on the possible adoption of older children, or adoption by a lower income family, and focus on placing the youngest kids with the richest parents. Here are some financial solutions to the problems faced by middle income families adopting children.

1. Tax Credit- Even if the adoption isn’t finalized, the family can claim a credit of up to $5,000 on each child. The credit is more valuable than a deduction, because allowable expenses are subtracted dollar for dollar against their tax liability. For example if you owe $5,000 in taxes, and have $3,000 in qualified adoption expenses, your tax bill is reduced to $2,000. If the bill is smaller than the credit, the unused portion of the credit may be carried forward for up to five years. According to the IRS, qualified expenses include “reasonable and necessary adoption fees, attorney fees, and some travel costs, including transportation, meals, and lodging. I think if most middle income families who are thinking about adoption heard about the tax credit, they would be willing to give it a chance. It varies from state to state, but some government subsidies can be up to half the cost of raising a child every year.

2. Be less insistent on material wealth- Most agencies obviously look at money as the defining factor in adoption. Why? There are bad parents who are extremely wealthy. They can afford to have their servants raise their children, but sometimes they don’t connect in the same way as people who are struggling to get by, but find the time and patience to care about their kids. Most people who try to adopt, rich or poor, have decided to make a sacrifice, and are committed to making a child’s life better. Money is no indicator of love, and we can’t decide someone’s future based on something arbitrary. If someone has a roof over their heads, and a steady job. I think they should have the same chance as anyone else.

3. Place foster children with potential parents in a trial period- For 3 or 4 months, place a foster child with parents who want to eventually adopt,