Foster Care vs. Adoption in Colorado [2 Paths to Parenthood]

The main difference between foster care vs. adoption lies in the process. In a private adoption, birth parents place their baby directly with your family through an adoption agency. In foster care, the state of Colorado places a child with you because their birth parents couldn’t care for them. If reunification isn’t possible, this could lead to adoption.

Although many websites compare adoption vs. foster care, including this article, there is no “right” choice. The path to parenthood looks different for every family. Take time to consider your family’s values, needs and circumstances, and reflect on your capacity to support a child through different experiences and challenges.

If you want to learn more about private adoption or start the process, you can speak with an adoptive family coordinator by calling 1-800-ADOPTION or filling out our contact form.

Comparing Private Adoption vs. Foster Care

Here are five things to know about adoption vs. foster care:

Wait Times

Private Adoption: Hopeful families who work with our agency wait an average of 12 months to adopt a baby. If your adoption plan is flexible regarding your budget, birth parent communication preferences and different pregnancy situations, we can present your adoptive family profile to a wider range of expecting parents. This could lead to a quicker newborn adoption vs. foster care.

Foster Care: Families who foster children or adopt from foster care might adopt in a few days or up to five years. The primary goal of foster care is to reunify families. You may be able to adopt a child immediately if their birth parents' rights have been terminated. However, foster-to-adopt placements often take longer because birth parents are working toward reunification.

Cost

Private Adoption: Private adoptions can be costly. To adopt a newborn or infant through domestic adoption, you’ll generally need to cover legal and administrative fees, home study costs, agency fees to help you find an adoption opportunity and the expecting mother’s medical and living expenses. We understand that adoption is an investment, which is why we provide honest estimates, non-expiring contracts and adoption disruption insurance.

Foster Care: Adopting a child in foster care is typically low cost. In some cases, the child might qualify for free state or federal adoption assistance. This financial and medical support is designed to promote foster care adoptions and help you meet your adopted child’s needs. For instance, foster care children who have experienced abuse or neglect may need physical or mental healthcare.

Uncertainty

Private Adoption: With private domestic adoption, pregnant women intentionally place their child for adoption. Expecting parents can stop the adoption process at any time up until they sign the legal paperwork after the baby’s birth, but this is rare. Disruptions can be discouraging, but we offer a Risk-Sharing Program to ensure you are in control of your finances if an adoption opportunity falls through.

Foster Care: The goal of foster care is to eventually reunite the child with their biological parents when or if their circumstances improve, which means there’s no guarantee that you will be able to adopt your foster child. There may be some children in foster care who have been declared eligible for adoption, but this is not always certain, and they may be older children rather than infants.

In 2022, 46% of children exiting foster care were reunified with their birth parents or primary caretakers. While adoption can be a positive outcome for some foster care cases, prospective foster parents should prioritize the well-being and stability of the children they care for — even if that means saying goodbye after forming a bond.

Age of Adoptive Children

Private Adoption: At American Adoptions, over 99% of our placements are newborns and infants, and we complete hundreds of adoptions per year. If you want to experience every baby milestone, including first words, first steps and first birthday, we can help you expand your family and fulfill your dreams of parenthood.

Foster Care: In 2022, the average age of a child in foster care was 8.2 years old, and 83 percent of the children were 2 years or older. These adoption vs. foster care statistics show that foster care often has a higher number of older children. This is often because birth parents intend to raise their children but lose custody later due to various challenges or crises.

Birth Parent Contact

Private Adoption: In a domestic private adoption, the expecting parents decide how much contact they’d like to have with you as their baby’s adoptive family. Our agency facilitates open and semi-open adoptions, where the birth parents communicate with you either directly or through an intermediary. Because open adoption benefits everyone involved, we ask all the adoptive families who work with us to be open to exchanging letters and emails and arranging at least one post-placement visit.

Foster Care: The amount of contact you have with your child’s birth parents depends on the foster care situation. If the birth parents are progressing toward their goals, you may communicate during the reunification process. If reunification isn’t possible and the birth parents’ rights are terminated, you can determine whether it’s in the best interest of the child to maintain contact with any biological family members.

Choosing Private Adoption vs. Foster Care Adoption

You deserve a family, and we are here to help make your dreams of parenthood a reality. Our agency specializes in growing families through private adoption. To learn more about the adoption process, fill out our online contact form and get free information today.

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