[Happywife]

I'd love to post this as a poll, but have no clue how to figure that out! LOL (Mods, if you could add a poll for this, that would be fabulous!! TIA)

My dh and I spoke with two different agencies today. Both seemed great - ethical, knowledgeable about adoption law, answered all of our questions, etc. We are leaning towards one, but we really want to get the opinions of all of you!!

We are open to children from all races, which should explain the wait times below.

Which agency would you choose?

AGENCY A:
A nationwide agency
Approximately 200 families on their list.
Wait times: 1-6 months
A conference call would be made with the expectant mother prior to birth.
24-hour counseling by phone to all expectant mothers
90% of the matches are semi-open
No classes or training is required
The worker was very friendly, caring, and knowledgeable.
Agency has been around for a while. Have strong connections to lawyers all over the country.

AGENCY B:
A more local agency (in a city)
10-12 families on their list
Wait times: approximately 6 months
A match meeting would take place with the expectant mother and other contact is encouraged
They encourage more openness in the adoption.
Books on adoption are recommended.
A workshop for PAPs is mandatory.
Her face lit up when she heard we were open about race. Told a story about a baby born that was 1/4 AA, and there were literally no families that wanted him.
Offers information about social events with other families with adopted children. (Support group, I suppose)
Agency is 10 years old

Would you choose Agency A or Agency B? Why? Thank you so much for your opinions!!! (EDITED TO ADD: The fee schedules/amounts are virtually similar.)

[adoptingourfirst]

I guess you have to decide how "open" you are willing to be and if that is a requirement of the local agency then you will want to make sure you are ok with that.

Our agency is local for us, but they primarily deal with couples from out of state. I think we are their only local couple right now. We've had a few let downs with them, but we LOVE our SW's and so we've continued on with them. I love that I can call them anytime and they are so helpful.

And then...the all dreaded $$$...is there a big difference between the two as far as their fee's? One thing I will tell you is that our agency has yet to present us with a case the amount that they had told us when we went and first interviewed with them. They have all been at least $3K higher and some quite a bit more. You might just keep that in mind. I was warned about it, but I didn't really believe that they would do it...but they do!

Can you use both agencies? That may be another option. I know it might be a little bit more as far as application fee's and some agencies don't want you to do that, but other's don't care. Ours for instance, does not care if we are signed with another one as long as we let them know who we are using and if we have a match.

Just my thoughts...kind of rambled on a bit...sorry and welcome!

[Happywife]

I edited the first post to indicate that the fees are virtually similar. I forgot that part!

Thanks for your reply. We probably won't go with both agencies, since the wait seems so short at both agencies.

[crick]

Polls are a Premium Membership Perk, so you can always upgrade if you like. A mod can always do one for you if you bribe them with enough chocolate...

Unfortunately there are too many options listed for a poll here and would be confusing really. So your format listed is great and I hope you get a lot of responses

[Sohmakun]

Agency B for me (hey that rhymes!). I would choose one with emphases on education because there are special issues to consider when adopting transracially or a child with special needs.

[Happywife]

Originally Posted by crick

Polls are a Premium Membership Perk, so you can always upgrade if you like. A mod can always do one for you if you bribe them with enough chocolate...

Unfortunately there are too many options listed for a poll here and would be confusing really. So your format listed is great and I hope you get a lot of responses

Oh, that is good to know! I was about to drive myself nuts searching for how to create a poll!

And as far as the chocolate goes. . . there is never any EXTRA chocolate at our house!

LOL Thanks for your help - and for all of the replies so far!

[NEWife]

I'd go with B as well...both because it's local and you get to see the Bmom face-to-face, but also because of their emphasis on education. That's not to be taken lightly. But, if you've already read a lot of books and feel pretty informed, I'm sure A would suffice...but B just sounds a lot easier to work with since they'd be close by. Of course we worked with a local agency so I'm biased . Good questions!

[Asha0314]

I like Agency B more because there seems to be more emphasis on support and education. I would ask about the services they offer the expectant parents as well, such as counseling, etc.
For me, the deciding factor would be if I was comfortable with their policy on open-ness.

[mondk]

I would definitely go with "B" but that would be just my own personal preference. Even though agency "A" says wait time is 1-6 months, 200 families currently being listed is a lot and I would be fearful of getting "lost in the shuffle". Remember, you have to decide for yourself...this was just my 2 cents!

Blessings, Michelle

[sadie427]

Agency A sounds like they are not telling you the whole truth--how can they truly have a wait time of 1-6 months and have 200 families waiting? Also, I wouldn't choose any agency that doesn't require education for PAP's. Plus, a smaller agency may be more likely to respond to your questions/problems in a timely manner.

[lovemy2boys]

I agree with the above posters...agency B...

[binkybear]

When looking for assistance with our adoption we went with an agency similar to "B". We wanted ethical one on one counseling, classes available and expected, and I personally was insistant on local (but that's just me...I need to "see" who I'm working with in such a huge critical life moment, like I wouldn't say yes to a doctor operating on me with just emails and a phone calls. But that's me...hub would probably be more flexible in that one area). Turn times weren't a factor for us, we figure if we're with the right agency for us and it's in the bigger plan that we wait 2 months or 12 months, it's just in the bigger plan. How fast and how much were not the driving forces I guess I would say... it was how we felt overall. We're really happy so far and really at peace with our choice

[chrisandaaron]

I also would chose B. I think the education is important and very useful. It shows they really want you to be prepared. Another thing to consider is travel expenses. We went with a semi local agency in our state (4-5 hours away). It was much easier and cheaper when we only had to travel a few hours and stay in a hotel for 3-5 days versus staying out of state for days-weeks while waiting on ICPC.

So who did your pick?

[Happywife]

Originally Posted by chrisandaaron

So who did your pick?

We chose Agency B. Like I said, there were a lot of great things about both agencies. But Agency B just seemed like a better fit for us, if you KWIM.

I emailed the worker today (assuming she'd get the email Monday morning) to let her know about our decision. I also indicated that we would be waiting until about April to apply, as we want to get credit-card-debt-free and have a significant portion of the fees saved up.

She replied right away. Her reply was phenomenal. She is also a Dave Ramsey fan (and Christian, which was another selling point for us) and said it was awesome that we have a goal to not go into debt for the adoption fees.

I had asked her if there is anything we could do between now and April. She has invited us to an adoption workshop (free of charge) and provided a list of adoption-related books.

Get this: Her agency also does transracial adoption training!! Whoo-hoo! There are 3 DVD's to watch, a book to read, and an online training to pass. In addition, there are questions to answer.

Now I know we have chosen the right agency for us. They really do a LOT of training and counseling for everyone involved. Thanks, everyone, for your opinions!!

[leenie71]

I just noticed that you made your choice...I would have picked B too. Congrats on choosing...that's difficult. Not as difficult as the wait, but still tough. Best of luck!