National Adoption Month

National Adoption Month is a month dedicated to bringing awareness to adoption and the children in need of homes and families. It’s a national holiday that aims at bringing good into the world by putting children first and aims to try and bring families together. If you want to learn more about this unique holiday, read more to learn about its history and see how you can participate in its celebration.

History of National Adoption Month

Also called Adoption Awareness Month, it began in 1976 when Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis announced an Adoption Week to promote the need for families to adopt children in foster care. From there, then holiday became official under the presidency of Ronald Reagan in 1984. A few years later, in 1995, President Clinton proclaimed that Adoption Week should be changed to a month instead of a week because of the pressing need for adoptive families to take part in adopting children. From there, President Clinton expanded the adoption process by allowing families to use the internet as a resource for adoption.

National Adoption Month became a national holiday for people to take part in. Current officials and candidates generally support this effort, and since then, National Adoption Month has been proven to be somewhat successful. Since 2014, roughly 50,000 children have been adopted each year with the average age being about 7 years old. However, more statistics state that while 81.5 million Americans have considered adoption, about 23,000 children age out of foster care without finding a family. While more research is still in the process as each year passes, adoption is an important decision to make in a person’s life and should always consider all of the factors at play.

How to Celebrate National Adoption Month

If you or a friend is considering adoption, then take research into all the factors associated with the adoption process, the child you want, and what it would cost to take care of the child. If you are ready for this important life decision, then talk with your local adoption center and see how you can get started. Take some time to research what the adoption process is like and see how you can change a child’s life forever. One of the best ways you can spread awareness of this holiday is by sharing it on social media so all of your friends and family members can know what day it is by using the hashtag #adoptionmonth.