Adoption is Changing with the Power of People ?? Technology

In March, we celebrate Women's History Month...

Women's History Month is a time to remember such landmarks as the Seneca Falls Convention, the Suffragette Movement, the fight for pay equity and equal representation. Women across the Nation, and the World, are speaking up and fighting for a more equitable world for all. While it is important to take time this month to remember how far women have come, it is equally as important to remember how far women have yet to go and examine the issues still facing women today.

An often silenced group in the fight for equality, are women who have made the decision to place their children for adoption. While birth mothers still have a long road ahead in terms of equality in adoption, there have been significant and vital changes in the practice of domestic infant adoption in the United States. To recognize what happened in the past and the change happening now, we invite you to read The Story of Adoption in Women's History.

and Single Parent's Day...

Single Parent's Day is a special occasion dedicated to honoring the hard work, sacrifices, and dedication of single parents around the world. For single parents who choose adoption, this day takes on an even deeper significance.?

In 2017, almost 15,000 single women and nearly 2,000 single men adopted children, according to the AFCARS. This number rises every year as the adoption industry becomes more accessible to single parents. These individuals make the courageous decision to pursue adoption, often navigating the complexities of adoption on their own. Their commitment to parenthood exemplifies unwavering love, showing that family is not defined by traditional structures but by the bonds of care and support.

?If you're a single parent starting out your adoption journey, you'll find that you have many adoption options, resources, and support. We invite you to start with our Single Parent's Guide to Adoption!

Adoption in the News

• The Untold Stories of Birth Mothers by Gretchen Sisson, The Cut
• The Adoption Agency Lied About My True Identity by Thomas Faltysek, Newsweek
• Utah Adoption Agencies Shut Down by Regulators Could Face More Scrutiny if They Try to Reopen by Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune
• Senate Republican Blocks Bill to Protect IVF After Alabama Ruling by Kelsey Ables, The Washington Post

The Modern Adoption Podcast

Hosted by?Erin Quick (Keaty) , adoptive mom and Founder/CEO of?PairTree , and Jess Nelson, birth mom and Community Manager at PairTree, our conversations are more than just stories and anecdotes. We dive deep into the heart of adoption, examining the laws, available technology, and processes that shape the landscape of private adoption.

Be sure to check out our first two episodes, and follow along to see what else we'll be talking about on "Modern Adoption!"

• EPISODE #1 - In our first episode, we discuss some of the recent changes, developments and perspective changes we’ve seen in private adoption, such as open adoption, policy changes, and the role technology plays in adoption. Listen Now
• EPISODE #2 - In our second episode, we're joined by Audrey Leonard DeGraaf, Director of Family Network Adoption Center in California, to discuss some big changes to adoption that went into effect this year in California. Listen Now

The Latest Insights

• How to Convince an Expectant Mom to Choose You by Guest Author Raquel McCloud - One of the most common questions prospective adoptive parents ask is “What is an expectant mom looking for?” Raquel is a child of kinship care, a kinship adoptive mom, and a birth mom in the reunion who cultivates resources and educational opportunities for the adoption community. In How to Convince an Expectant Mother to Choose You , she shares her honest insight from her perspective as a birth mom to help answer one of the most complex questions.
• Building Your Adoption Team - Assembling a trusted team of adoption professionals is a crucial step on your adoption journey. Each member of this team plays a unique role in guiding you through the process, providing support, expertise, and advocacy every step of the way. Here we answer Who Do I Need on My Adoption Team?

Adoption Book of the Month

The Sixteenth Year: An Open Adoption Memoir

Leah Outten is a birth mother in a fully open adoption, and mother of five whom she parents with her husband. She shares vulnerably about the beauty and aches of a birth mother, and aims to inspire hope and show how open adoption can be done well.

In her debut memoir, The Sixteenth Year: An Open Adoption Memoir , Leah pulls you into her story as she shares her heart. Vulnerable and tender, The Sixteenth Year offers a raw look into her story, not only through pregnancy and adoption but as a testimony of how God has used broken pieces of her life to heal and grow. From pre-pregnancy to life today and her bond with her teenage daughter, you’ll be inspired by her steps of faith, the grace discovered within her journey, and the transformational approach to adoption.

What's New at PairTree?

Task Expiration Tracker for Home Studies

Home Base is here to relieve some stress. No longer will home study providers have to manually keep track of countless document expiration dates for all of their families.

• Task expiration stores key dates, so they’re easily accessible at the right time in the right place.?
• Only the provider can input these dates so the professional and the family can trust their accuracy.?
• The task expiration dashboard can serve as a provider's “spare brain”. A provider's Home Base Dashboard will showcase which families have tasks that are expiring and/or have already expired (starting at 60 days from expiration).
• Providers can refresh tasks or reissue new documents with ease for the family to complete while archiving the expired documents for safekeeping.

Want to see Home Base in action or interested in a more in-depth walkthrough of Task Expirations? Learn more here with a video tutorial. OR Schedule a customized demo!

?Account Linking Magic? on PairTree Connect

Adopting families now have the ability to link their licensed professional to their Connect profile! Why is this so exciting?

• Expectant moms can see that families are supported and guided by an experienced professional.
• Professionals can provide deeper guidance during a family's outreach journey.
• Newly welcomed legislation requires adopting families to work with a licensed professional during the matching and placement process.