Foster care and adoption advocates say a good benefit of the downturn in the economy is that more people are looking to adopt children that are waiting in the system. Amy Juhnke of Iowa KidsNet, says people are finding they can fulfill their desire to adopt and it is not a costly process.
Juhnke says a private adoption can cost tens of thousands of dollars, while adopting a child from foster care is free. She says the training, the background checks and home studies are free with the costs to the families usually just some attorney fees.
"We have seen with the economy that we get more families that are interested in adopting," Juhnke says. This is National Foster Care Month and Iowa KidsNet has been highlighting the need for foster parents.
Juhnke says foster parenting goes hand-in-hand with adoption. She says you can go through the licensing process to become a foster family, or you can become a foster family and then adopt, or just adopt a child. Juhnke says they advise people to start out looking at both and see what their preferences are. Juhnke says you can start by asking them for more information.
Juhnke says you can call 80-243-0756 to find our more or you can visit the Iowa KidsNet website . She says they will send you a packet of information on the entire process.
Juhnke says Iowa KidsNet has been holding events across the state this month to highlight foster care and the need for more families to take part. She says some of the events are parties to show appreciation for the families, while some are training for the families.
They’ve also doing events at various minor league baseball parks throughout the state. You can find a list of events in your area on the Iowa KidsNet website.