Life in a place like Allentown, PA, can be wonderful. It’s a tight-knit community. And, while it doesn’t have the flashiness of Pennsylvania’s larger metro area, it has the beneficial qualities of small-town living that Philadelphia and Pittsburgh can’t offer.

Since you’re reading this, it probably means you live in Allentown and are considering adoption. You may be a hopeful parent who dreams of starting a family. Where better in the world to do it than Allentown? Or, you may be a woman experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, trying to figure out the best path forward. In either case, adoption agencies in Allentown can help you.

If you’re still trying to find an agency, that means you are just beginning the adoption process. You probably have a lot of questions — and that’s okay. Most people don’t really understand adoption when they first consider it. This guide is meant to help. We’ll cover the basics about:

• What adoption agencies do for adoptive families
• How agencies support prospective birth mothers
• The different types of adoption agencies in Allentown
• Which Allentown adoption agencies you could consider working with
• And more

Let’s get started.

What Do Allentown Adoption Agencies Do?

Adoption agencies in Allentown perform the necessary tasks and provide the required guidance to complete an adoption process. Agencies are licensed, regulated organizations — which means there is third-party oversight to ensure that adoption agencies act legally, ethically and responsibly.

Adoption is governed by state and federal laws. The laws differ from state to state, which matters because many adoptions involve parents from one state adopting a child from a different state. One of the primary tasks of an adoption agency is to make sure all of the necessary steps are taken to complete an adoption legally. If these steps aren’t taken properly, it could put an adoption placement at risk of failure.

Then, there are the many other non-legal requirements of adoption. Allentown adoption agencies do things like counsel prospective birth mothers and adoptive parents during an emotional process, find adoption opportunities, facilitate communication between prospective birth parents and adoptive parents, help orchestrate adoption financial support for the prospective birth mother, and remain a longstanding resource for everyone involved even after placement is complete.

The adoption process can be long and complicated. With the help of the best adoption agencies in Allentown, it can go smoothly for everyone involved.

Types of Adoption Agencies in Allentown

There is more than one type of adoption agency for families considering adoption. This is because there is more than one type of adoption, too. When you want to adopt, one of the biggest choices you’ll make in the whole process is the type of adoption. Based on that, you’ll look for a certain type of adoption agency in Allentown to work with.

There are, generally speaking, three types of adoption. No single path is necessarily better than the others. It all depends on the unique details of your circumstances. Only you can know what’s going to be best for your family.

Here is a brief overview of each type of adoption and its associated adoption agency:

Private Domestic Adoption Agencies in Allentown

Domestic infant adoption happens when a prospective birth mother chooses adoption for her baby. With the help of a private adoption agency in Allentown, she will create an adoption plan and choose the adoptive family. The adoptive family will also work with an agency, oftentimes the same one.

Domestic adoption agencies in Allentown help adoptive families by finding adoption opportunities through adoptive family profiles, providing guidance during the home study, offering counseling services, coordinating legal services and more. They provide services and support to prospective birth mothers in similar ways, and the best adoption agencies in Allentown will have things such as 24/7 availability for prospective birth mothers.

If you are an expectant mother considering adoption, this is the type of adoption and agency for you. If you are a hopeful parent and dream of adopting a baby from somewhere in the U.S., then this is the type of adoption agency you’ll need to work with.

Allentown Adoption and Foster Care Agencies

Another way for hopeful parents to go about adopting is through the foster care system. Foster-to-adopt is the process of being registered as foster parents, receiving placement with a child who is available for adoption and then completing the adoption of that child. Allentown adoption and foster care agencies can assist with this process.

Foster care adoption is a way to provide much-needed love, protection and permanency to a child. But perhaps the largest appeal of foster care adoption to families may be its lower cost. Due to state incentives and other programs, this type of adoption can be less expensive than others. For some families, that is reason enough to choose foster care adoption.

There are some struggles that come with foster-to-adopt, too. Most states’ foster care systems are overburdened, which can make working with the system unpredictable and chaotic. Due to this, the possibility of an unforeseen adoption disruption slightly increases. Also, hopeful parents must be open to the possibility of being placed with an older child, which some parents do not feel prepared for. In the end, it’s up to you to decide if these potential struggles are still worth the beauty that can come from adopting a child through foster care.

International Adoption Agencies in Allentown

Each year, thousands of American families decide to adopt a child from another country. International adoption, also called intercountry adoption, typically involves working with an international adoption agency in Allentown. This agency will help you navigate state, federal and international laws. They will also find the right adoption opportunity for your family with an eligible child. Additionally, there are things such as travel, lodging and immigration papers that need to be worked out. International adoption agencies in Allentown help with these things, too.

When looking for an international adoption agency, one of the most important signs of quality is Hague accreditation. The Hague Convention is an international treaty setting standards for adoption. Agencies and countries who are in line with the treaty can be trusted to conduct international adoptions in a way that is best for everyone involved, especially the children.

Find an Adoption Agency in Allentown

Now that you know about the types of agencies, you need to know which adoption agencies in Allentown you could consider working with. Here are some choices, broken down by type of adoption:

Domestic Adoption Agencies in Allentown

• American Adoptions
• Adoptions From the Heart

Allentown Adoption and Foster Care Agencies

• The Salvation Army Children’s Services: Foster Care & Adoption
• Statewide Adoption Permanency Network

International Adoption Agencies in Allentown

• Bethany Christian Services
• Living Hope Adoption Agency

What Do I Do Next?

If you know that adoption is right for you, and you’ve settled on a type of adoption, then the next step is to keep researching adoption agencies. Eventually, you’ll want to take the step of contacting adoption agencies that you think may be a good fit. It’s a good idea to call several agencies to get a feel for them. Ask a lot of questions, and only work with an agency that feels right.