The laws and process for adopting an infant born in the United States varies by state, so it's important to work with a licensed agency in your state of residence. Many states require specific training for prospective domestic adoptive parents, others do not specify training at all for this type of adoption. Our Domestic Infant Adoption Package may fulfill your state's requirements.
Whether it is required or not, there are many things parents pursuing a domestic adoption can learn through Adoption Learning Partners. For instance, how to talk about adoption in a way that honors your child's birth family and culture and that is appropriate for their stage of development. Or, if you are adopting a child of a different race or ethnicity than yourself, you'll want to learn about how to approach that difference with sensitivity and respect.
The adoption tax credit provides a very valuable benefit to adoptive families; it is also among one of the most complicated tax law provisions. This course will help you determine eligibility, create record keeping systems and prepare for year-end tax planning.
Upon completion of this course, you may purchase a certificate for $30.
Advocacy begins even before a child joins her adoptive family and continues throughout her childhood. This course will help you understand why you are the best advocate for your adopted child, determine your need for services and find resources available to assist your family.
Upon completion of this course, you may purchase a certificate for $40. If purchased as part of a package, the fee is already included.
Adopting a child of a different race or ethnicity presents challenges families may not expect. Share in the wisdom and collective experiences of adopted persons and adoptive parents with transracial families and learn new skills for responding to insensitive comments as well as strategies for expanding the diversity in your life.
Make the first step in connecting with expectant parents considering adoption a good one by creating a compelling profile that truly highlights who you are. If your adoption profile creatively expresses who you really are, expectant parents get a window into your life and therefore a reason to connect with you specifically.
It is natural for adopted children to grieve the life and family they never knew, no matter how old they were when adopted, how open the adoption or how happy their life with the adoptive family. This course will help adoptive parents recognize the signs of grief at different developmental stages, identify situations that may trigger grief and develop strategies to help children grieve.
Talking about adoption can be difficult for a variety of reasons, but it should not be a one time conversation. This course gives you the tools you need to make talking about adoption part of your family's everyday life.
A Lifebook is a book created for an adopted child that tells his story, before and after adoption. It helps children place foster care or adoption in the context of their life experiences. This course will help you understand the purpose and importance of a Lifebook, identify situations in which it is beneficial and develop some pages of your child's Lifebook.
Open adoption can be a scary and difficult relationship to understand. This course will explain open adoption, will help you to understand the expectant parent and birth parent perspectives and will offer some strategies for making openness part of your everyday life.
Attachment is an essential component of any healthy, happy family. Adoption, however, may present challenges to the attachment process. Designed for both first time adoptive parents and parents struggling with attachment issues with their adopted child, this course provides practical tips on how to form and sustain this important bond.
Katja Rowell, M.D., aka the Feeding Doctor, will help you understand why eating and mealtimes can be so difficult, and share relationship-building strategies to help children do their best with eating.