With hopeful optimism...

We are happy to share that Chinese Consulates throughout the US have announced the reinstatement of visas issued prior to March 2020, as well as the full opening of all types of visa applications as of March 15, 2023. You can read the full announcement here. We are in close contact with our in-country rep, and have reached out to the CCCWA for further guidance regarding the implications of this news as it pertains to the resumption of adoptions. We will share any additional information as soon as we receive and verify it. While this is a very exciting step in the right direction, we must still await CCCWA’s return to work and normal processing, as well as opening of adoption related departments in individual provinces. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.

In lieu of this announcement, we are pleading for LATE China Post Adoption Reports!

We know that life is crazy busy and that the days can be long and hard. We would never want to give you one more thing to do… However, we have seen a significant decline in compliance and communication with the post adoption reports for our China program. We are asking for your immediate attention to turn this trend around!

While we deeply empathize with the concern and frustration surrounding the current political climate, do not forget that post adoption reporting in China is still required and necessary! As your placing agency, together we have an obligation to provide these reports. We still need to show China that the children we have placed, your children, are safe, loved, and thriving!

Maybe frustration is not a reason... Maybe your child is doing great, and life has gotten in the way. Or maybe you are struggling, and you don’t want to type the actual words that you ‘need help’… But either way, we want to hear from you! We have greatly expanded our post adoption services and our staff is here to help and support you with whatever you need. And if you are thriving, let us know so we can cheer you on!

We are also aware of some confusion when families transition into the self-reporting phase. Once the social worker has completed the first 4 reports (30-day through 2 year reports), all families still need to comply with the 3 remaining self-reports for years 3, 4 and 5. Please keep an eye out for our email reminders that include the self-report template and all items that need to be submitted along with the report. The self reports are just as crucial and need to be completed.

Please keep in mind that you paid a bond, and that $1000 check is still yours to be returned, when you honor your commitment. We want nothing more than to return it so you can pour it back into your family, especially during these hard times when we all could greatly use it.

And aside from the bond money, remember that post adoption reports are critical to keep adoption programs open. Our hope and prayer is that China will open its doors sooner than later. We need these reports. We need China and all countries to see how adoption changes lives! Please remember that you gave us your word. In a world with so much upheaval, please remember how important this is. Thank you so much in advance for your cooperation.

Vacation. 

Just the word alone fills me with a calm. My mind is flooded by memories of past vacations (from childhood all the way through now), and also visions of future getaways. 

Who doesn’t love a good vacation?!?

So when our Thailand partners mentioned that they strive to take the children on a vacation when possible, we jumped at the possibility of being able to help make that happen! Everyone deserves a vacation every now and then, but especially waiting children who don’t otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy such ‘typical’ childhood experiences!

So we began asking questions –

When? Where? How many children? Budget? 

And while getting the details, we learned these vacations go far beyond fun in the sun. The orphanage staff utilize these trips to begin teaching and instilling independence and life skills. They utilize public transportation, not just to save costs, but specifically to guide the children on how to do so. They stop at convenience stores for supplies, but have the children budget the shopping, make the purchases, and check to ensure they received the correct change back. 

They include the children in the planning, the preparation, and the packing, all in an effort to prepare the children for their years beyond the orphanage – whether those years are in a forever family, or out on their own.

Upwards of 40 children, ranging in age from school-aged to teens, will participate in this amazing opportunity this spring. The intentionality and forethought to not only give these children the vacation they so very much deserve, but to do so in a way that will teach them valuable life lessons, left us in awe. 

Of course we will help make this happen! And we invite you to join us.

'Everyone should be able to look into the face of a doll and see their own'

We tend to minimize the importance of "seeing yourself" and downplay how this lack of representation plays out in a child's life - particularly in one of the most powerful industries in the world, the toy industry! WHO we see and HOW we see them makes a difference to a child's emotional development and growth.

Check out A Doll Like Me, where former social workers make dolls for children with all their unique qualities from limb differences, to facial abnormalities, to scars, and birth marks.

Families home in March!

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.