In Florida, private adoptions can cost upwards of thirty thousand dollars. The high cost is a barrier between children who need homes and loving families that can’t afford the steep price tag. Luckily there is a much more affordable option: adopting from foster care. In these instances, adoption itself costs little to nothing and parents can use the money saved to better provide for their children. Florida State requires adoptive parents to complete free training classes and home study.
Meet Bailey’s Family
Bailey and her partner began fostering in January of 2016. The Florida family fosters three children with open arms, a baby boy and two toddler biological sisters.
It is so important to keep siblings together whenever possible in foster care. Many studies show that siblings who stay together have higher rates of reunification and adoption. For many foster children, their siblings are the only constant relationship they have, especially when moving from foster home to foster home. While fostering siblings may seem daunting as you are welcoming more than one child into your home at a time, the positive effects are beyond worth it.
Bailey and her partner adopted their 7-month-old son in December of 2018 and their two daughters in March of 2020. While the adoption process of their son was quick, the girls were in Bailey’s home for three years before officially being adopted.
Had these children been involved in a private adoption, not through the path of foster care, it could have cost upwards of ninety thousand dollars. Because of the costs of private adoptions, it is more difficult to ensure that siblings can stay together
Looking Forward
For Bailey, her Florida family’s future includes more foster children.
We could never look back and not continue to foster. It is impossible to unsee and un-hear what we have experienced.
Here at Together, We Rise we applaud Bailey’s dedication to her children and future foster children. Thank you for sharing your story with us. For more information on fostering, visit HERE.
