It takes love and courage to consider adoption . By choosing
adoption , you give your child the gift of life , a loving
family, and wonderful opportunities.
Call us at 800-869-1005 or visit us at www.centerforfamily.com
Life doesn’t always go as you planned it.
Each year, hundreds of women
facing unplanned pregnancies contact
the Adoption Center for Family
Building. We understand what you’re
going through and our experienced,
caring counselors are ready to listen,
discuss your options, and help you
make a decision that’s right for you
and your baby.
According to industry experts, half of all
pregnancies in the United States are unplanned –
impacting the hopes and dreams of three million
women each year.1
Our services are free and confidential and offered to you at no obligation.
We will help you get the support and resources you need throughout
your pregnancy, create a personal adoption plan, and assist you in finding
a family that meets your needs.
The Adoption Center for Family Building is a private, non-profit
adoption agency that’s licensed in Illinois and Indiana. Since 1996, we
have placed hundreds of children with loving adoptive families. We have
vast experience working with expectant parents and will treat you with
the compassion and respect you deserve.
Making dreams come true.
Sincerely,
Tobi Ehrenpreis, M.A., MPH
Executive Director
Maggie Benz, LCSW
Clinical Director
To learn more about our adoption services
call us at 800-869-1005 (365 days/year) or
visit us at www.centerforfamily.com.
Is adoption right for me?
Placing a child for adoption can be a difficult decision,
but it’s an important one that will impact you and your child’s lives forever.
No matter what anyone tells you, adoption is a personal choice that only
you can make.
As you think about adoption, it
might be helpful to consider the
following questions:
1) Can I provide for my child’s financial,
emotional, and physical needs?
2) Will parenting this child deprive my other
children of necessities?
3) Could I handle a child and job and/or
school at the same time?
4) How does my family feel about this
pregnancy and will they support my
decision?
5) What are my hopes and dreams for my
future?
Women contact the Adoption Center for Family
Building for a variety of reasons. A single
mother may feel she can’t support another child
or wants her baby to be raised by two parents.
An unmarried couple may feel the timing isn’t
right to start a family. A pregnant teen without
adequate education and job skills worries about
the risk of poverty for her child and herself.
Regardless of what your situation looks like, we
can help you explore your options and make
a plan for you and your baby’s future. Your
decision will depend on many factors including
where you are in your life right now, what
your goals are for yourself, what you wish for
your child, and whether you have the financial
resources and support to raise this child.
It’s normal to experience a range of feelings
before, during, and after your adoption – even
if you know it’s the right choice. Placing a
baby for adoption involves a loss and a sense
of sorrow. However, knowing that your child
is part of a stable, secure and loving family can
give you peace of mind.
Our Adoption Process
1. Call us at 800-869-1005
2. Talk with an experienced
adoption counselor
3. Create an adoption plan for
you and your baby
4. Select your baby’s
adoptive parents and meet
them (if you want)
5. Sign documents which
allow your baby to be
adopted
What can I expect throughout the adoption process?
The Adoption Center for Family Building provides comprehensive adoption services
and ongoing support to expectant parents, including:
Professional counseling – Talk one-on-one
with an experienced adoption counselor who
will help you plan for your future and that of
your baby.
Personalized adoption plan – Tell your
counselor about your preferences for an
adoptive family, such as race, siblings, age, and
the type of relationship you would like with
them before and after the placement.
Choice of adoptive parents – We work with
a diverse pool of adoptive parents including
married couples, same-sex couples, and single
adults; all families have been prescreened and
approved to adopt. You can review letters and
pictures from waiting families and choose your
baby’s adoptive parents.
Quality medical coverage – We will help you
apply for any public assistance and medical
insurance to which you are entitled. If you have
private medical insurance that does not cover
100 percent of your care, we can pay the
difference.
Help with expenses – In accordance with
your state’s adoption laws, we are able to assist
you with living expenses (e.g. rent, food, utilities,
phone, maternity clothing, and other necessities),
as needed before and for a period of time after
the placement.
Legal assistance – Working with an
experienced adoption attorney, we adhere to the
laws in your state to ensure that the adoption
plan you make for your baby is secure and that
everyone’s rights are protected.
Open adoption – You and your child’s
adoptive parents can determine the amount of
openness and level of future contact you wish to
maintain. Jointly, you may agree to stay in touch
with letters and pictures, phone calls, social
networking, and family visits.
How to choose a family for your child?
If you have decided to move forward with an adoption plan, you may have a good
idea about the kind of family or lifestyle you want for your child. If you need help,
we can select a family for you. You are welcome to be as involved as you would like
in choosing your baby’s adoptive family.
We begin by helping you identify what criteria
are most important to you and providing you
with profiles for families that meet your needs.
The profiles give you a snapshot into the
adoptive parent’s lives and may include information about their relationships, other children,
careers, hobbies, photos, and much more.
You will have peace of mind knowing your child
will be raised in a safe, secure, and loving home.
All of our adoptive parents must meet strict
state and agency adoption requirements,
including a comprehensive examination of their
personal relationships, physical and emotional
health, finances, employment status, and home.
Criminal background checks are also required.
In addition, adoptive families prepare for
parenthood by receiving professional counseling
and educational training to prepare them for the
unique aspects of adoptive parenting.
Educational topics vary but may include an
explanation of the adoption process and benefits
of open adoption, racial or cultural diversity
training, and how to talk to kids, extended
family, or anyone else about adoption.
Here are some things to consider when
selecting parents for your child:
• Do you want your child raised in a city, a suburb,
or in a small town?
• Do you want your child to be raised in a
traditional home with mother and father, or
would you consider a same-sex couple, or
single parent?
For several months after the placement, a social
worker from the Adoption Center for Family
Building will monitor your child’s development
and how the adoptive family is adjusting.
Families accepted by the Adoption Center
for Family Building typically:
•
•
•
•
Own their own home
Have college or vocational degrees
Have financial security
Are unable to have children themselves
• Is the age, religion, or race of the adoptive
parents important to you?
• Do you have a strong preference for a dual
income family or a family with a stay-at-home
parent?
• Do you want your child to be an only child, or
would you like him/her to have brothers or
sisters?
• Does the family share your interests, for
example, sports or music or pets?
• What kind of relationship would you like with
your child’s adoptive family?
• How far away does the family live from you?
As you explore your options, here
are a few important things to know
about the Adoption Center for
Family Building and our commitment
to you:
• You can contact us anytime during your
pregnancy or after your baby is born. We
will meet with you in person, and provide the
personal care and attention you deserve.
• You will have access to free and confidential
counseling, financial assistance, medical care,
and post-adoption services.
• You can be as involved as you want in your
child’s adoption, including selecting your
child’s adoptive family, meeting them and
getting to know them, and discussing the type
of relationship you wish to have with them
long term.
• You can feel secure in knowing that the family
you choose is ready to provide a safe, loving,
and stable environment – all our adoptive
families have been prescreened and are
prepared to adopt.
• You can keep in touch with your child’s family
over the years through phone calls, social
media, and family visits, or simply receive
letters and pictures.
• You may choose to have a closed adoption,
with limited or no contact at all.
Why should I work with the Adoption Center for
Family Building?
Since 1996, we have placed hundreds of infants with loving
adoptive families. Our experienced adoption counselors are
highly skilled, caring professionals, dedicated to helping you
get the support you need. All services are free, confidential,
and offered to you at no obligation. You can expect to be
treated with respect and compassion before, during, and after
the placement.
Our primary focus is to help you make the best
plan possible for yourself and your baby.
If you’re pregnant and didn’t plan to be, then you’re probably
asking yourself a lot of questions about your options. You may
be scared or unsure of what to do. We can help you evaluate your options, sort through your feelings,
and provide the information you need to make an informed decision.
Your wishes for your baby are important to us and are always respected .
We invite you to tell us about the kind of family you want for your baby. Perhaps you wish your
child to be raised in an urban or rural environment, or with a family of a particular faith, or with
adoptive parents who have similar backgrounds or shared interests. Whatever your desires, we will
work with you to find the right family and create an adoption plan that meets your needs now and
into the future.
We are committed to helping you find the right adoptive family for your baby.
We place babies of many different racial and ethnic backgrounds including Caucasian, AfricanAmerican, Latino, Asian, biracial and multicultural. Some of our adoptive families are prepared to
parent babies exposed to drugs and alcohol or infants born with certain physical challenges.
Cheri’s Story
Susie’s Story
When I learned of my pregnancy, I was
devastated , depressed , and
overwhelmed .
I was 19 years old and a college
freshman when I met Steve . We had
been dating a few months when I
became pregnant.
I was trying to go back to school, raise my
three-year-old daughter, and work part-time.
With Medicaid, WIC, food stamps, and
government-assisted housing, I was barely able to make ends meet.
I was no longer seeing the baby’s father. He was immature, not interested
in parenthood, or helping me financially. My parents are divorced and both
work, my siblings live out of town, and I didn’t want to raise another child
on my own.
I met with my adoption counselor, Mary, at the Adoption Center for
Family Building to discuss my options. Once I had made up my mind, I
talked with family and friends. Some felt that adoption was a big mistake,
but my mom and best friend were very supportive of my decision.
When it came time to pick a family, I chose Julie, a single woman who
wanted to build a family through adoption. She was well educated, had a
great job, came from a large family, and enjoyed sports. We talked for hours
on the phone and then eventually met.
At the hospital, I wanted just my mom to be in the delivery room with me,
and I wanted to spend some alone time with my baby. I invited Julie to the
hospital so she could begin bonding with the baby.
After Claire’s birth, I talked with Julie about texting me pictures and
sending occasional updates so that I would know how Claire was doing.
I’m not ready to visit Claire yet, but maybe in the future. Placing Claire for
adoption was the hardest decision I have ever had to make. I know
adoption isn’t for everyone, but in my situation it was the best choice.
I have two younger sisters, and my mom
struggles with health issues. I knew my family
was unable to support me emotionally, physically, or financially. Plus, Steve
and I were both in college at the time and neither of us had a job.
I was unsure what I wanted to do. I talked with Steve and our families
about placing the baby for adoption, and they were supportive. Steve and I
met with Brooke, a counselor at the Adoption Center for Family Building,
to develop an adoption plan.
Our counselor explained the adoption process and gave us family profiles
of adoptive parents who matched our needs. We fell in love with Elizabeth
and Jeremy and couldn’t wait to meet them. Our first meeting went well,
and we had many shared interests. Our relationship with them grew. Steve
and I felt we had chosen an awesome couple to raise our baby.
When labor started, I called Elizabeth and Jeremy, and they met Steve and
me at the hospital. Our son, Jacob, was born, and I was amazed at the
miracle of life! They were thrilled to be there for his birth and honored us
with an entrustment ceremony they had prepared.
I was able to graduate, and I’m now working toward my nursing degree.
Steve and I are no longer in a relationship, but we visit with Jacob,
Elizabeth, and Jeremy regularly. Every time I see Jacob’s smiling face I am
reassured that I made the right decision in choosing adoption.
Did you know?
• About 60 percent of Americans have a personal connection to adoption.2
• After steadily rising for five decades, the share of children born to unmarried
women has crossed a threshold: more than half of births in the United States
are to single mothers under the age of 30.3
An unexpected pregnancy
can leave you feeling
confused, overwhelmed,
and alone. No one should
feel that way.
• The children of teenage parents often face severe health, economic, and
social consequences. In fact, almost 80 percent of children born to unmarried
teen mothers, who did not graduate from high school, live in poverty.4
We can help!
• Transracial adoptions are on the rise. In America, 40 percent of adopted
children are of a different race than their adoptive parent.5
•
•
•
•
• Two million children in the Unites States are being raised by gay and lesbian
families and 30 years of social science research shows they are just as happy,
healthy and well-adjusted as children raised by heterosexual parents.6,7
1 James B. Kelleher, “Unplanned Pregnancies Rising Among Poor U.S. Women: Study.” Reuters, August 24, 2011.
2 Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, “Overview of Adoption in the United States.” 1997.
3 Jason DeParle and Sabrina Tavernise, “For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage.” The New York Times, February 14, 2012.
4 Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., “Fact Sheet.” January 2010.
5 Sharon Jayson, “Adoption Increasingly Crosses Racial, Ethnic Lines.” USA Today, April 12, 2011.
6 Susan Donaldson James, “2 Million Kids Raised By Gay Couples Are At Risk, Study Says.” ABC News, November 2, 2011.
7 Movement Advancement Project, Family Equality Council, Center for American Progress, National Association of Social Workers, Evan B.
Donaldson Adoption Institute, and COLLAGE, “All Children Matter” October 25, 2011.
Call us at 800-869-1005
Visit us at www.centerforfamily.com
Email us at [email protected]
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