At Children of All Nations and Great Wall China Adoption, we believe that all children have the right to live in a loving permanent family. While each country sets their own requirements for prospective adoptive parents, we are committed to developing adoption programs that are inclusive of a wide-range of qualified potential parents.
Children of All Nations has worked to establish numerous successful adoption programs that support adoption by single parents.
- We encourage single women are eligible to adopt from our Domestic Program, Bulgaria, China, Latvia, Philippines, and Poland.
- We encourage single men who are eligible to adopt from our Latvia, and Bulgaria programs.
Regardless of your marriage status, it is important to build a healthy support group to assist you throughout your adoption journey. We have created this section of our website to serve as a resource for single parents interested in adoption. We plan to continue to add to this page in order to offer the best resources and assistance possible to single prospective adoptive parents. Feel free to contact us for further information on our current adoption programs.
Preparing to Adopt as a Single Parent
In the past few years, adoption by single parents has increased dramatically. It is estimated that approximately 25 percent of special needs adoption and 5 percent of total adoptions are attributed to single parents. Though single adoptive parents are more likely to be women, single men are forming a growing percentage of those choosing to adopt.
We know the process of adopting, especially as a single parent, can feel daunting but we’re here to help.
- Speak with Other Single Parents. The best thing you can do to begin preparing for your adoption journey is to speak with other single parents. First-hand knowledge of the experience will be crucial to preparing for your adoption. You may contact us for references of single parents who have completed their adoption through CAN.
- Crack Open a Book. As the number of single parents grows, so do the resources available to them. Check out our resources and suggested reading.
- Arrange for Care of the Child. It is important to determine who will provide care for your child while you are working. It is also important to determine who would care for your child in the event that you became ill or pass away unexpectedly. You will address these issues with your social worker during the required home study for adoption.
- Give us a Call! Our adoption consultants are available to help answer questions and provide support during your adoption process.
Single Parent Resources
Books/Videos
- And Baby Makes Two (First Run Features 2007)
- Adopting On Your Own: The Complete Guide to Adoption for Single Parents by Lee Varon (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2000)
- Single Mothers by Choice: A Guidebook for Single Women Who Are Considering or Have Chosen Motherhood by Jane Mattes (Three Rivers Press 1994)
Raising a Transracial child
- Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib by Jaiya John (Soul Water Rising 2005)
- In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories by Professor Rita J. Simon, Professor Rhonda M. Roorda (Columbia University Press 2000)
- Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child: From Your First Hours Together Through the Teen Years by Patty Cogen (Harvard Common Press 2008)
- The Connected Child: Bring hope and healing to your adoptive family by Karyn Purvis, David Cross, Wendy Sunshine (McGraw-Hill 2007)
Adoption in the Classroom
- Adoption and the Schools: A Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers by Lansing Wood, Nancy Ng (Families Adopting in Response)
- Children of Intercountry Adoptions in School: A Primer for Parents and Professionals by Ruth Lyn Meese (Bergin & Garvey 2002)
Issues in Adoption
- Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections by Jean MacLeod, Sheena Macrae (EMK Press 2006)
- Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge (Delta 1999)
- Parenting the Hurt Child : Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow by Gregory C. Keck, Regina M. Kupecky, Lynda Gianforte Mansfield (Pinion Press 2002)
Articles
- Adoptive Families, the online adoption and parenting guide, has provided trusted adoption information and inspiration to families for over 30 years.
- Raising A Child of Another Race – Deliberate Parenting Can Make a Difference
- How to Be an Adoption Advocate
- Nature & Nurture: A New Look at How Families Work
- Helping Classmates Understand Adoption
Websites
Support and Education
