LatinaLista — November is National Adoption Month. As of Sept. 2010, according to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report, there were 408,425 children in the foster care system.
Latino children comprised over 84,000 who were in the foster care system in 2010; a little over 11,000 were adopted. It’s reported that more than 23,000 Latino children of all ages are still waiting for a family to find them.
Unfortunately, too many children languish in foster care or age out of the system before they can realize the dream of being part of a family.
However, this month’s observance of National Adoption Month spearheaded a special campaign with a unique goal — raise awareness that there are 26,000 pre-adolescents, ages 8-12, who are ready to be adopted right now.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , Administration for Children and Families and Children’s Bureau, who joined together to create the bilingual and newly revamped web site Adopt U.S. Kids, partnered with the Ad Council to create the advertising campaign conveying to parents-to-be that they don’t have to be perfect to be perfect parents.
The web site, Adopt U.S. Kids, simplifies the adoption process to a fault. There’s something unsettling about looking through the site’s database for a child to adopt, especially when you can enter search parameters like age, gender and race.
Yet, this is the easiest and most convenient way to get as many of these children’s stories out there so they have a shot at being adopted — and a headstart to a successful and happy future.
