How Do I Choose a Colorado Adoptive Family For My Child?
By Isabelle Sitchon
After careful consideration, you have recently chosen to place your child for adoption as a birth mother in Colorado. It is incredible that you have decided to embark on your adoption journey. However, the next steps in the adoption process may be difficult. A crucial step in the adoption process will include choosing an adoptive family for your child. At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we will work with you to ensure that your child will be in loving arms. We serve birth mothers in their Denver adoption journey and areas all over the state. Our private adoption agency in Colorado is here throughout to guide you in this essential part of the process. We know that you will choose the best adoptive family for your child with our help.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Choosing the Type of Adoption
There are three types of adoption in your adoption plan that you can choose for your child. Each type delegates the level of communication you will have with the adoptive family after initial adoption. At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we specialize in an open or semi-open adoption. When constructing your adoption plan, an adoption specialist will inform and help you through this process.
- Open adoption: In an open adoption, the birth mother and the adoptive family develop a relationship. Both parties exchange important information and engage in ongoing contact throughout and after the adoption process. The adoptive parents may visit or call the birth mother and share the child’s progress through letters, pictures, and notes.
- Semi-open adoption: Most contact between the birth mother and the adoptive family is done through the agency in a semi-open adoption. There may be limited information shared between the two parties, and interaction in the future may be limited.
- Closed adoption: In a closed adoption, there is no communication between the birth mother and the adoptive family. Their identities are not shared, and there is no future contact between the two parties. This means that the birth mother will not see her child nor have any contact with them. The only information that is shared with the adoptive family is the medical history.
It’s important to note that you are in control of your decisions. You will have as much time as you need to explore your adoption options. We want you to determine the right course of action for your baby. We will answer any questions you have and are here to provide counseling if you need emotional support.
What Qualities Should an Adoptive Family Have?
We are here to help you in the CO adoption process. Every birth mother is different in their values and understanding of their child. You might want to consider a few general qualities to guarantee your baby is in the right home. When deciding on the right family, do consider specific qualities such as:
- Religious preferences
- Parents’ ages
- Length of marriage
- Parent’s existing children
- Professions
Steps to Choose an Adoptive Family
Our staff at Adoption Choices of Colorado will assist you in finding a loving home that best suits your interests. Once you have solidified an appropriate adoption plan with your counselor, we can begin the adoptive family process. You may work with us to help you find families or work with another professional for matching services. With our adoption agencies in Colorado, we will introduce you to families based on your preferences. Whether you are considering a Denver adoption or adoption in another Colorado area, you must be actively involved during the matching process. During this time, let your adoption specialist know about any specific qualities you’d want in a family.
Each adoptive family has a picture profile that tells you who they are. You can look at pictures of the family, their vacations, home, and many more. This profile will also have a “Dear Birth Mother” letter that you can read to know their hobbies and family dynamics. By doing this, you can feel what kind of home your child would be growing up in. Our adoption center also features a family profile page on our website for you to look at. If you need any additional resources, your adoption specialist will surely help you.
We Help You in the Adoption Process
We understand that you would only want the best for your child. As a birth mother, it is completely okay to take your time during this process. We want to assure you that all of our adoptive families are safe. Our professionals at Adoption Choices of Colorado have all adoptive parents undergo extensive background checks. Each family is required to prepare a State Bureau of Investigation report and other additional legal documents. Your child will be in a safe environment with our families with our adoption agency. As a birth mother, it’s up to you to choose a family that will be the best for your baby.
We want you to know that we are here for you in this part of the adoption process. If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
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!