Adoption is just one of several ways that you can build or expand your family. When deciding to embark on your adoption journey you'll need to answer a number of questions which will help you determine which direction is best for you and your family.

In the beginning stages of research, you'll want to ask yourself some important questions. For example, is it important that the child we adopt share our racial or ethnic background? Have we done fact-based research regarding the different types of adoption? Are we drawn more to domestic infant adoption, adopting an older child from foster care or adopting an infant or older child from abroad? Are we interested in being able to share information about or build a relationship with our potential child's biological parents? Have we researched the different avenues of adoption, such as using an agency, attorney or adoption facilitator?

What you may find at this stage is that you will want to do additional research regarding the different avenues available to you which include domestic infant adoption, adoption from the foster care system or adopting internationally from any number of programs currently open to adoptive parents from the United States. Each method has benefits and risks that you'll want to consider. Additionally, ages of children available often vary depending on the program you choose, so getting a clear picture of your desires for a child and the realities of the program are very important. Another thing you'll need to consider is the varying costs associated with adopting.

Whether your adoption journey is just starting or nearing completion, adoption.com offers a large selection of resources and information that will help you now and into the future.

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