Adoption Requirements for Birth Parents
Whether you are considering placing your child for adoption or have already decided to choose adoption, you want to know what’s next? How do I start the adoption process? Who will help me through the adoption process? How does adoption work? What adoption services do you provide? At Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Colorado, we try to make the process as simple and smooth as possible. Just as the decision to place your child for adoption is a difficult one, the process is complex. We have professional dedicated staff 24/7 though to help! We are the adoption agencies in Colorado that can provide the trusted support that you deserve!
If you need help now, email us, call us at 303-670-4673(HOPE) or text us at 720-371-1099 anytime, for free, and with no obligation!
Step 1: Contact our adoption agency.
Step 2: Work with an adoption specialists to create an adoption plan.
- Create a budget for financial assistance
- Review family profiles and choose an adoptive family
- Choose the level of openness
- Establish a hospital/birth plan
- Receive ongoing counseling and emotional support
Step 3: Pregnancy, Birth, and Relinquishment
Step 4: Post Placement Communication and Support
We will walk you through every single step of the adoption process and make sure you are comfortable and confident with your decision and everything that is happening. You will never be forced nor coerced to finalize adoption.
Do I get paid for adoption? While you do not get paid for choosing adoption, there is financial assistance available. Reasonable expenses include safe housing, food and groceries, rent and utility bills, maternity clothing, and more. We also help you find medical care, and legal expenses come at no cost to you. Birth parents never have to pay to choose adoption.
Does it cost money to place my child for adoption? No. And if anyone is “charging” you to work through an adoption process. Stop. And call a licensed professional instead.
Am I obligated to choose adoption? What if I change my mind? You can contact us and start working with our adoption center with no obligations. You do not HAVE to choose adoption just because you are considering it. You can also change your mind at any point through the adoption process – until you sign the final relinquishment paperwork after birth.
Will I ever see my child again? That depends on you and what level of openness you want and agree to with the adoptive family you choose. Most adoption today are open or semi-open which means YES, you can maintain a relationship with your child and the adoptive family throughout the child’s life.
As a birth parent, it is common to experience some nervousness as you head into the adoption process. It is perfectly normal to have fears and reservations about if this is the right decision for you. Our professional counselors will work with you through all of these emotions.
If you need help now, email us, call us at 303-670-4673(HOPE) or text us at 720-371-1099 anytime, for free, and with no obligation!
Adoption Requirements for Adoptive Parents
All hopeful adoptive families must meet a number of requirements to adopt in Colorado. The first steps of the adoption process include: an adoption application, a Home Study, and adoptive parent training. Once these prerequisites are complete, we will begin the matching process with a birth mother (parents) who have viewed your profile book and want to know you more. Placement involves taking your child home from the hospital and finalizing the adoption with your local courts. You can also expect post placement visits and follow up – and of course communication as agreed with the birth parents. You can find out more about how you can adopt a child on our Hoping to Adopt page.
Do I have to be married to adopt in Colorado? No. You can be either single or married and adopt a child in Colorado. However, if you’re married you must petition to adopt with your spouse.
Can same-sex couples adopt in Colorado? Yes. Colorado LGBT+ couples are welcome to adopt through Adoption Choices. The process is the same, the wait time is the same – we do not discriminate!
How old do you have to be to adopt in Colorado? Is there an adoption age limit? The state of Colorado specifies that you must be at least 21 years old to adopt a child, although no upper adoption age limit is given.
How hard is it to adopt a baby? What do I need to adopt a child in Colorado? While the general legal adoption requirements in Colorado for prospective adoptive parents are clear-cut, there are other requirements that you may not have considered yet. These adoption requirements include: health requirements, financial requirements, emotional, and educational requirements. Your adoption social worker will review all the adoption requirements with you and walk you through the adoption process in Colorado. You will not be adopting a child alone!
To learn more about how you can adopt a child in Colorado, please contact us online and we will in touch with you.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!