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Home › Articles › Alternative Family Building › The Price of Parenthood

The Price of Parenthood

Financing Adoption

By Laura Christianson

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, an Internet resource for those seeking ways to finance adoption. Weldy and her husband, Matt, who are waiting to adopt their third child, joke, "We don't buy new cars – we adopt. We don't go to Disneyland – we go to Korea and adopt."

The people Weldy counsels rarely stop partway through the adoption process solely because they don't have the money. "People invest their hearts in adoption," she says. "Once they're committed, they are able to save more money than they thought they could."

Minimizing the Financial Risks

As parents-to-be research adoption specialists, they should ask to see the payment schedule. Adoption professionals often charge drastically different fees for the same services, and many offer a sliding scale based on a parent's income. Most stagger fee payments, with the bulk of the money due right before the placement is completed. Some agencies partner with financial institutions to offer adoption loans or lines of credit. Others, such as Antioch Adoptions in Redmond, Wash., tout "no fee" adoptions. Antioch's adoptive families give back to the Christian ministry through donating their time, talents and financial resources.

"Some of our families act as speakers and co-trainers, offering personal support to other families," says Bonnie Johannes, director of Antioch's Moses Project. Others donate office supplies or make a monthly gift of $25. "We have lots of repeat families," Johannes says. "When money isn't a barrier, families are more inclined to continue adopting."

Workplace Benefits

As adoption becomes commonplace, more employers are offering monetary aid and/or paid adoption leave. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9 percent of employees had access to adoption-assistance benefits in 2003, up from 5 percent in 2000. Ninety percent of Working Mother

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