Most people who can provide an adequate and loving home are eligible to adopt. As an adoptive parent you...

• may be single, married, divorced, or separated and living apart from a spouse for 12 months or longer
• may or may not have birth or adopted children
• must be at least 21 years of age
• must be able to financially manage the addition of a child or children to the family, although there are no specific income requirements. (Financial assistance is available for families who adopt a child older than one or a child of any age with special needs.)
• must have no criminal history that will prevent you from being licensed to adopt

• like kids and feel good about being parents
• are willing to make a commitment to a child for a permanent lifetime relationship
• are flexible in finding ways to adjust to new situations and changes
• understand that truly accepting a child as part of the family means accepting the child's past history
• can show affection in healthy ways for a child who has been abused or neglected
• are comfortable with setting firm limits and specific rules for the child when necessary and willing to use nonphysical forms of discipline
• do not need or expect to satisfy their own needs through their children
• can find pleasure and take pride in the small gains children make
• are willing to use community supports (school, medical, mental health, recreational resources) to meet their children's needs

Before issuing a license, the agency will make sure that your home is a safe place for children. Generally, an adoptive home shall...

• be clean, well ventilated, properly lighted and heated, and free of fire hazards
• have a safe water supply
• provide protection from poisoning and injury
• have a room for a child
• have an operating telephone or approval for quick access to a telephone