[kimr]

My husband and I are just starting to look into adoption and are at a loss as to where to even begin. I have narrowed it down somewhat and am particularly interested in Korea. Can anyone give me some information about agencies or resources in the NYC area?
Thank you!

[Matt's Mom]

Hi,

Yes my husband and I live in Long Island and used an agency in Mineola. We used and were very happy with New Beginnings, we adopted our son from Korea through them. My son is now 2 1/2 and we got him at 8 months. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will answer you.



GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Suzan]

I used New Beginnings as well. Our son came home about 1.5 months ago. Our process took longer then expected at 15 months. The head sw there Cathy Danowski is amazing.
I also have a few aquaintances that were very happy with Spence-Chapin in NYC. New Beginnings is having their 2nd annual Conferenceon May 15. This could be very helpful to you.Best of luck in your journey!!!

[Suzan]

I am very sorry about my post above. I mentioned a specific name & then I just read the announcement that we are not to do that.

[kimr]

I should have known better and not asked such a specific question or at least asked you to reply privately. I'm new and just learning myself! Thank you though for your answers.
Suzan--congratulations! I am sure it was well worth the 15 month wait!
Matt's Mom--what was your timeline like?

[uradvl]

hi Kimr,

My husband and I used S-C in NYC. We live on Long Island but decided to go into the city because we felt very comfortable with this agency. Just go to a few informational meetings at different agencies...it is a personal choice and you will know what feels right for you.

You asked the other ladies about timelines...here is ours:

June 2003 informational meeting
July 2003 agency application and acceptance
August-
September 2003 agency meetings (just to make sure you
are ready for this commitment)
October 2003 home study started
December 2003 home study complete
January 2004 INS fingerprinting
February 2004 Dossier sent to Korea
March 30 2004 Referral sent (Its a boy!!!)

Once we accept the referral...he should be home in about 3 months. He will be about 8 months old when he comes home.

I know it seems overwhelming...but it really isn't so bad. I don't know your situation, but if you endured any infertility treatments...this will be a piece of cake!!!!

Good luck to you.

Leigh Ann

[Matt's Mom]

Hi Kimr,

The process from start to finish was 10 months for us and he actually should have been in sooner. Korea has a qouta of children they let out and they usually close there doors for thirty days but with us they just dragged out the adoption a little longer. Regarding the conference on May 15 I will be there with my son as a guest speaker.


Matt's Mom

[Suzan]

Matt's Mom,
What class/topic are you speaking on? I will be there, and would like to come meet you.

[Matt's Mom]

Hi Suzan,


I would love to meet you I will be speaking with a friend of mine I also met through the agency, she got her son from Korea in June and he just turned a year old in February. I will be speaking about my adoption experience through Korea and answering any questions people may have. I am actually on a friendly basis with the agency having helped them last year plan their Annual Summer picnic and am helping them again this year. I would love to get together and compare notes and stuff.



Irene

[AdoptedAdopter]

Hi kimr-

My husband and I just adopted from Korea through Spence-Chapin in NYC. We love the agency. They held our hand from start to finish (and what a finish!). We started the process (our first homestudy meeting) in Feb 2004 and had our son in our arms the last week in September (on his 4-month birthday). It went unusually fast for us, for whatever reason, but regardless, we've just had the best experience with Spence. They have great support post-adoption as well. We highly recommend them.

Let me know if you want to know more! Best of luck to you!

Amy

[uradvl]

Hi Amy

As I posted above..we are also using Spence. Your right, they have been wonderful. We had our first home study visit in October 2003. On March 29th we were told we will have a son and our paperwork ( all the stuff after you accept the referral) will be mailed out on Friday. YEAH!!

I was wondering how long your wait was between accepting the referral and bringing your child home? We were told to expect 8 to 12 weeks. But we were also told that it would probably take 12 weeks for a referral, and it actually came in 5.

One last question, do you live on Long Island? And if so, do you know of any groups for parents of Korean children?

Thanks,
Leigh Ann

[sandra878]

Hi, We have adopted two children through Spence Chapin and are currently doing our 3rd. Both came home fairly fast after accepting 4 1/2 and 6 1/2 wks, even though we we're told 12 wks. How long is the I600A taking in NY right now? I don't know of any play groups but wish there we're out here in LI. Good luck with the process. It's been wonderful for us.

[AdoptedAdopter]

Hi Leigh Ann-
Congratulations!! What wonderful news! The time between referral and when we were cleared to travel was a little over a month. But we were told it could take 2-3 months, so go figure. We also got our referral a whole 2 weeks after our paperwork was completed. So like I said, don't use our timeframe as a guide, although you seem to be moving quickly as well.

We actually live in Westchester, so I don't know about groups in LI. But if anyone's interested in attending an Asian adoptee playgroup in Westchester, let me know. A few of us have started one that meets every Tuesday in the Bronxville area.

Best of luck to you!
Amy

[kimr]

This is a bit delayed, but I wanted to thank all of you for your replies. The information you have given me has been so helpful and even more importantly, it is wonderful to read about all of your success stories.
Thanks again.
Kimr