When you place your child for adoption with A Child’s Hope, you will secure the best possible future for your child. How? By choosing the perfect family you want to adopt your child, creating a post-adoption contact agreement that lets you be a part of your child’s life, and more.
However, even though you have the chance to meet and get to know the family your child will be raised in, you might still have some questions about adoption. Will their life as an adopted child be any different than being raised in a “traditional” family? Is it better or worse?
It’s normal to have questions about your child’s future, and your adoption counselor at A Child’s Hope can describe in more detail what your child’s life will be like.
One of the biggest indicators of your child’s future is your first conversation with prospective adoptive parents, where you can ask them any questions you have and make sure this family is perfect for your child.
What an Adoptee’s Life is Like
Before you choose an adoptive family for your baby, you will view their adoptive family profile and meet them in person with your adoption counselor. A prospective adoptive family can help you understand exactly what your child’s life will be like with them, including any traditional family trips they take, their plans for your child’s education and extracurricular activities, what their family lifestyle is like and more. Whatever you want to know about your child’s future, they will be happy to help you visualize your child’s life as an adoptee in their family.
To ensure a positive family environment for all our adoptees, at A Child’s Hope, we educate all prospective adoptive families in detail about how to be the best parents to an adopted child. This includes supporting an open or semi-open adoption, preserving their child’s identity as an adoptee and immersing them in environments where adoption and/or multicultural families are common. The most crucial element, though, is being honest about their adoption story. You’ll be reassured to know that 97 percent of adoptees over the age of 5 know about their adoption — and your child will be one of them.
In many ways, an adoptee’s life is no different than if they were to grow up in a biological family. They will have parents that love and support them, all the opportunities they could ever want, and a healthy childhood where their adoption story is celebrated — not emphasized as something that makes them “different.”
Statistics About Adopted Children
Beyond the individualized circumstances of being raised in a particular adoptive family, there are also some common positive advantages that adopted children experience. Because adoptive parents have been waiting so long to have a child, they don’t take their position for granted; they give their child every opportunity possible. Recent studies have shown that:
- 85 percent of adopted children are in excellent or very good health
- Adopted children are less likely to live in households below the poverty threshold
- Adopted children are more likely to be read to, sung to, or told stories to every day as a young child than non-adopted children
- Adopted children are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities
- More than half of adopted children excel in reading, language arts and math at school
These are only a few of the positive statistics reported on the happiness and success of adopted children. While individual situations will vary, you can be reassured in knowing that there is a positive and happy future awaiting your baby should you choose to place them for adoption.
Remember, you can play an integral role in your baby’s future by being in charge of every aspect of your adoption plan. You can choose which family you want to raise your child, what kind of relationship you want with them and your baby as they grow up and more. While adoption is a challenging process at times, your adoption counselor at A Child’s Hope will always be there to provide support and help you make decisions that are right for you and your child — helping you create a future that’s in the best interest of both you both.
To learn more about the adoption process in North Carolina and to get started today, please call our Pregnancy Hotline: (919) 971-4396, or Text: Pregnant to (919) 971-4396, or email ach@achildshope.com.
Click a star near where you live on the NC map to see what counselor would be assigned to you.
Kelly Dunbar
Adoption Counselor/Homestudy Supervisor - Triangle
As an adoptive parent I truly have a passion for adoption. There is no greater joy than helping to create a family! I love this job and I love working with adoptive parents as well as the birth parents. When it all comes together it is an awesome experience! Kelly is a graduate of NC State University where she earned a Bachelor of Social Work. She also received her Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina. Kelly has been working with children, families, in the home and in communities for 18 years. Kelly has been working with birth mothers and adoptive parents for the last 5 years. Besides working, she has a great husband and three fabulous children, Landon, Parker and Ansley. Kelly and her husband adopted their daughter with the help of ACH and feels as though her personal experience helps her relate to other adoptive families.
Sloane Mosley
Greensboro
Sloane completed her undergraduate degree in Human Services Counseling at Old Dominion University and holds a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Sloane has been working with children, birth mothers and adopting families for more than 10 years. She loves advocating for children and helping women during pregnancy.
Lakisha Brown
Winston-Salem
Lakisha completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology with a concentration in Social Welfare at Winston-Salem State University. She received her Master of Social Work from Syracuse University. Lakisha has worked with children, individuals and families for more than 12 years. Her experience includes working with at-risk youth, homeless children and families, child mental health, as well as school social work and case management. She is also a long-time basketball fan, a former player and coach. She played at Winston-Salem State University and coached women’s basketball at Elon University and Syracuse University. Lakisha and her husband reside in Alamance County, with their young son.
Katherine Fitzsimmons
Triangle
Katherine completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology at St. Bonaventure University and earned her Master of Social Work degree from Binghamton University. Her passion is working with and advocating for women, youth, and children. She has worked for more than 10 years facilitating kinship, international, and domestic adoptions; eight of those years were working for the Independent Adoption Center here in Raleigh. Katherine also has a background in crisis management in a hospital setting. When she is not working, she can be found volunteering at her sons’ school, exploring the Raleigh-Durham area, or baking yummy sweets!!
Jessica Otolinsky
Asheville
Jess completed her undergraduate degree in Communication at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and earned her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Messiah College. Her professional experience includes case management, education, women’s behavioral health including a focus on pregnant mothers, and working with kinship and domestic adoptive families who have experienced trauma. Jess is a native of central Pennsylvania though loves living in Asheville with her significant other. When she is not working, she is likely caring for her puppy and dog, painting, practicing yoga, camping or planning her next road trip to see family and friends or have an adventure in some new place!
Melanie Spainhour
Triangle - Bi-lingual
Melanie is excited to be working with A Child's Hope in the Raleigh area. She received her Master of Social Work degree from East Carolina University (Go Pirates!) and her Bachelor of Social Work degree from NC State University (GO PACK!). Melanie has worked with children and families, school systems and local communities, primarily focusing on the Latino community. She loves spending time with her husband, three daughters and taking trips to the beach!
Sylvia Senbel
Charlotte
Sylvia is a graduate of Western Carolina University, where she earned a Bachelor of Social Work. She also received her Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina. Sylvia has been working with children and families for more than 19 years. She enjoys gardening, reading, hiking, and spending time with her husband and three boys. She also loves animals, especially her dog Jazzy.
Rachelle Garren
Wilmington
I am originally from Pennsylvania but moved to North Carolina 6 years ago. I have a two-year-old son, 2 dogs, and a cat! I got my undergraduate degree in psychology at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania. I earned my Master's degree in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I have worked with children in a preschool setting for three years and worked with children and families for the last year as a therapist. Most of my experience is with children and adults who experienced trauma or substance use problems. I am very excited to be working with the adoption agency!
Before you choose an adoptive family for your baby, you will view their adoptive family profile and meet them in person with your adoption counselor. A prospective adoptive family can help you understand exactly what your child’s life will be like with them, including any traditional family trips they take, their plans for your child’s education and extracurricular activities, what their family lifestyle is like and more. Whatever you want to know about your child’s future, they will be happy to help you visualize your child’s life as an adoptee in their family.