National Adoption Day on November 23rd holds a significant place in the hearts of many. It is a day that shines a light on the over 108,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. This grassroots effort has been working tirelessly to raise awareness and bring families together.

Uniting Families through National Adoption Day

Current Status of Adoption in Washington

Jacki Christl, the Adoption Program Manager at the Washington Department of Children Youth and Families, shared that there are about 800 kids currently in foster care and eligible for adoption. She emphasized that the majority of those up for adoption are of school age. "We're always aggressively looking for kin for kids who can't go home to their birth parents," Christl said.There has been a notable change in the volume of kids in foster care this year. "This year the volume of kids in foster care has changed a lot and we've been really successful in unifying kids that can go home to their biological parents. We do a much better job of that now," Christl added.

The Need for Older Kids Adoption

Nancy Gutierrez from DCYF pointed out that the number of children waiting to be adopted is less than last year. She suggested that anyone interested in adoption should start the process by becoming licensed foster parents. "Older kids in the system need forever families too. If kids can leave our system with even just one caring adult, like with help signing a first lease or going to college and have a place to come home to, all of those things are important for these kids, and it really makes all the difference," Christl emphasized.

Adoption Proceedings and Celebrations

The Kent Regional Justice Center was one of the several locations in Washington that hosted adoption proceedings and celebrations on Thursday and Friday. DCYF also emailed details of an adoption in Yakima this week in conjunction with National Adoption Day. During Logan's adoption hearing, he had a huge cheering section including family friends, adoptive grandparents, teachers, Fostering Solutions staff, extended adoptive family, and DCYF staff. The celebration included balloons, stuffed animals, cookies, and a pizza party. Logan is now happy and hopeful for the future, enjoying playing soccer and basketball and having great relationships with his adoptive parents and three siblings. His parents said, "Logan is a perfect fit for our family, and we are blessed that he accepted us permanently."To learn more about adoption in Washington state, visit [this site].