New Data Show 38 Percent Increase in Interest in Adoption Among Women in the United States

A study funded by the Freddie Mac Foundation has found that interest in adoption among women ages 18-44 rose 38 percent in the United States between 1995 and 2002 (from 13 million to 18 million). The data comes from the most recent National Survey of Family Growth conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analysis, conducted by the Urban Institute and commissioned by the National Adoption Day Coalition, was released at the national launch event for National Adoption Day.

Of the women interested in adoption, approximately 760,000 reported they were currently seeking to adopt - up from approximately 500,000 women in 1995. Data also revealed an interest in adopting minority, special needs, and older children. Ninety-seven (97) percent of women would be willing to adopt a minority child while nearly a third (31 percent) would be willing to adopt an older child. Ninety (90) percent of women currently seeking to adopt said they would be willing to adopt a child with a mild disability.

While interest is on the rise, the portion of women interested in adoption who then actually took steps to adopt declined. Approximately 10 percent (1.9 million) of interested women took steps to adopt - down from 16 percent (2.1 million) in 1995.

"The rise in interest in adoption is wonderful news for the 119,000 children currently available for adoption in our foster care system," said Maxine Baker, President and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation. "Now we must work to insure that the adoption process is accessible and easy to navigate so that we can connect these women and their families to waiting children."

The new analysis was released at the Kings County Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York to kick off National Adoption Day. The event launched a week long series of adoption events, which will culminate in hundreds of courts opening their doors on National Adoption Day - Saturday, November 19th - to finalize thousands of adoptions. More than 125 adoptions were finalized today in Brooklyn. The National Adoption Day Coalition expects that on Saturday, more than 3,100 adoptions will be finalized at 227 celebrations in 45 states and the District of Columbia across the country.

Growing interest in adoption may be a reflection of the concerted efforts made by the federal government and states to raise awareness of the children in foster care currently awaiting adoption. Recruitment strategies across states include outreach through diverse media as well as faith communities, utilizing language appropriate materials, and leveraging the power of personal relationships.

"Today we celebrate those women and families who did take the next step and have chosen to adopt a child from foster care and create a forever family," said Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. "Now, we need to focus on ways to encourage others to take that next step. We need to translate interest into action."

Each year, on a special Saturday just before every Thanksgiving, the National Adoption Day Coalition sponsors National Adoption Day to raise awareness of the need to find permanent, loving homes for the thousands of children in foster care currently available for adoption and to insure that post-adoption services are available to families. At the heart of the Day are thousands of children, parents, judges, adoption professionals, volunteer lawyers and child advocates in hundreds of communities across the country who come together to finalize the adoptions of children from foster care and celebrate all families who adopt.

According to the most recent data available, there are approximately 523,000 children in foster care in the United States, and 119,000 of them are available for adoption. Since 1987, the number of children in foster care has nearly doubled, and the average time a child languishes in foster care has lengthened to nearly three years. Each year, approximately 20,000 children in foster care will age out of the system without ever being placed with a permanent family.

National Adoption Day events are sponsored by a coalition dedicated to improving the lives of children, including The Alliance for Children's Rights, Casey Family Services, Children's Action Network, The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Freddie Mac Foundation and Target.

To access the full report, please visit the National Adoption Day Web site (www.nationaladoptionday.org) or the Urban Institute Web site (www.urban.org) .