It’s a fact that international adoption can be expensive. But thanks to wonderful organizations like Brittany’s Hope, it can be affordable after all!! Brittany’s Hope believes all children deserve the basic right to grow up in a nurturing family environment and be a part of society. Our friends at Brittany’s Hope understand that the cost of adopting can be a barrier, so to combat that they routinely offer adoption grants to families! Are you adopting internationally through MAA and matched with a child? Then apply for a Brittany’s Hope grant today! Email Sarah Hansen for more information.

Families can now sign up to receive Adoption Advocacy Alerts directly from NCFA! Visit their website to do just that, and while your there download their Advocacy Toolkit! Stand up for adoption, and let your voice be heard.

The China Team at Holt International has received a recent communication from the CCCWA giving us clearer guidance regarding how they would like social worker in-person visits and post-placement reports to be completed. CCCWA no longer wishes to accept virtual visits in place of in-person visits. They suggest a phone call in between reports to check in and make sure the family isn’t having issues, but would rather wait until in person visits can take place for the reports to be written/submitted. Therefore, they are accepting late report submissions given recent safety issues related to COVID. For visits that have already taken place and reports that have already been written, please submit them to us as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have resulted from this change.

MAA is now offering virtual Colombian Culture training! These courses will help families be aware of the big and subtle differences that can sometimes lead to misinterpretations. Understanding the customs, manners and how life is in the tropics may help the attachment process and the integration of your child’s culture into your family. The following are the dates for the Colombian Culture Training in 2021: February 11th- 6 pm – 7 pm EST May 13th - 6 pm – 7 pm EST August 12th – 6 pm – 7 pm EST Please email Misty Lucas to sign up! The deadline to sign up will be the day before each training. Once you have signed up, a link to join the virtual training will be emailed to you the day before the course.

Our friends over at Philip Hayden Foundation continue to press on and do amazing work for children with disabilities in China, even during the most challenging of times. Newly imposed lockdowns and restrictions have forced them to quickly shift gears so they can continue to provide their Orphanage Therapy Training Initiative, but they are dedicating to doing whatever needs to be done to make it happen! The staff and volunteers of Philip Hayden Foundation have been traveling around to several orphanages in order to provide therapy, as well as therapeutic education. From teaching caregivers about safe transfers in and out of wheelchairs, to safe positioning and feeding, to sensory activities, and more, The Orphanage Therapy Training Initiative continues to change the lives of children. And when the staff cannot travel due to the pandemic, they take to virtual sessions to ensure this initiative can continue to reach as many caregivers, and therefore children, as possible! Thank you Philip Hayden Foundation! Thank you for doing all you can to make the lives of children with disabilities in China better!

The Adoption Tax Credit can significantly offset the costs and fees of an adoption process, but prospective adoptive parents need to ensure they understand the basics before determining how much it can help them. In NCFA's updated Guide to Understanding the Adoption Tax Credit, they explain what the ATC is, how it is different from a tax deduction, how it works, and what the eligibility and qualifying expenses are. They also discuss proposed legislation to improve the ATC’s ability to help more families and strengthen opportunities for more children to thrive in permanent, loving families. Read more here!

This family came home in January!

If you are not in a position to adopt right now, but still feel compelled to help, please know that you can always make a donation directly to Madison Adoption Associates. Your generous gift will be directed where it is needed most, whether that be to provide food and medical services to vulnerable children both domestically and internationally, to support MAA’s growing therapeutic support services for adoptive and foster families, to help ease the financial burden for adoptive families, and/or many other areas where MAA serves deserving children. So please – consider making a tax-deductible donation today, so that children around the world may have a chance for a brighter tomorrow.