In Colorado, it costs about $20,000 for the state to care for a child. Adoption agencies can place the child in a permanent home for a fraction of that cost, at great benefit to both child and adoptive parents.

Emma is one preschooler who's definitely benefiting from the love and guidance of adoptive parents. ... She was born drug positive and suffered neglect as an infant. "She couldn't hold herself up. She couldn't hold anything in her hand. She had no cognitive skills ... just kind of laid there in her own little world," [Emma's adoptive mother] explained.

Emma's adoptive parents, Liz and Mike, learned how to draw her out so that she would engage with them and others. She's now an active toddler whose abilities surpass her age, they said.

Source: CBS Channel 4 (Denver, Colorado)

Labels: parenting, benefits, inspiration, influences

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In 1990 just 12 percent of major U.S. companies offered financial aid for adoption. Last year, that number had increased to 47 percent. Many companies also offer other benefits, such as paid time off and referral services.

"Offering generous adoption benefits gives a company a more family friendly image, even among those who aren't directly affected by adoption, said Rita Soronen, executive director of the Dave Thomas Foundation..."

Federal law mandates up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave for adoptions, but doesn't require much else. Because fewer than one percent of U.S. employees take advantage of adoption benefits, they're also an inexpensive way for a company to improve its image. Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer

Labels: benefits, assistance, employers

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