Adoption Associates, Inc: Domestic Infant and International Adoption Agency

Parents looking to adopt children under the age of twelve months should not be older than fifty. Parents between fifty and fifty-three are typically allowed to adopt children between the ages of twelve and twenty-four months, while parents between fifty-four and fifty-five are able to adopt children over the age of two. Parents between fifty-six and sixty are typically able to adopt children over the age of four.

Only heterosexual applicants are eligible. Married couples or single female applicants are accepted. Prospective adoptive parents with a previous divorce are acceptable.

Both parents should be U.S. citizens, and families with no prior arrest records are preferred. Certain health conditions may prohibit prospective parents from adopting from Kazakhstan.

You will need to apply immediately for your passports, as they are needed as part of your dossier (the legal papers sent to Kazakhstan to complete the adoption). Usually, families have approximately four months to prepare their dossier paperwork. You will need to secure a passport within those first four months so that your passport copies can accompany your dossier to Kazakhstan. You can get more information from www.travel.state.gov/passport, or you can contact any U.S. post office to obtain a passport application. You will also need passport photos as a part of your application for the passport.

Ask yourself the questions below and be very honest in your answers. If you can answer the majority of the statements below with a YES, you are ready for an international adoption experience.

I am goal oriented. Once I make up my mind to do something, I almost always accomplish it.
I feel I handle stressful situations well. I’ve found ways to reduce my stress level before I “blow up.”
I consider myself to be a patient person in situations that others find trying.
I have a good sense of humor. It helps me keep things in perspective.
Differences interest me. I find it rewarding to try new things. I like travel, meeting new people, trying different foods, etc.
Challenges make me determined to succeed, and I do not give up easily.
When faced with a problem, I become a problem solver. My motto is, “Where there is a will, there is a way.”
My friends, family, and coworkers would say that I am a loyal person.
I am realistic in my expectations of myself and others. When things don’t go as I’ve planned, I can adjust.
Even though my family and friends sometimes let me down, I can overlook their shortcomings and accept them as they are.
I am usually an optimistic person. I like to look on the bright side of things.
I like to do things my way but can accept the fact that some things are out of my control.
I have a lot of support in my life from family and friends.
I am proactive. I value the advice of others and seek help when I need it.

AAI can provide you with an itemized statement of fees paid to AAI, including your home study fee, country-specific program fee, administrative fee, and application fee. AAI can also list other expenses you have incurred, such as in-country expenses, if you can provide the agency with a detailed record of all these other expenditures.

A receipt request form is provided in your Kazakhstan travel packet that will assist you in organizing all your expenditures. AAI will need this form in order to generate your statement.

Travel to Kazakhstan will require a visa that will be used for both of your trips. Your consultant will instruct you when it is time to apply for your visas, and directions for this are included in the travel packet provided to you prior to your trip to Kazakhstan.

Many families are unsure about the type of gifts they should bring for the child(ren) when they visit on the first trip. We advise families to bring three or four small gifts, including a soft, washable doll or animal and some additional age-appropriate toys. It is a good idea to purchase a child-friendly photo album and fill it with pictures of the individuals and places that will play a part in the child’s new life. You should label these photos simply in the event they are able to be translated at the orphanage. Attachment therapists suggest sleeping with the soft toy for a week or so before you travel to Kazakhstan so that it smells like you. Smell is one of the more powerful senses, and it can be integrated in this manner to facilitate your child’s attachment to you.

Do not expect to have these toys returned to you when you bring the child(ren) home. Many families opt to purchase identical toys and a photo album to have at home, just in case. In this way, the child will be able to have some familiar toys that he or she recognizes.

No. This service is incorporated into a portion of the fees that you pay prior to the dossier being sent to our facilitator. Once your dossier is completed, you will send it to AAI, and we will forward it to our facilitator. At this point, it will be reviewed and sent to Kazakhstan to be translated.

During your adoption process with AAI, you will receive a packet of information including a dossier packet and a travel packet. You will also be assigned an international consultant, and if you are utilizing AAI for your home study, a caseworker. Your consultant will assist you during the often confusing dossier process and will even review your documents before you have them apostilled.

This is indeed a very serious topic, and we commend you for taking the time to learn more! Many families have found a variety of books to be helpful in their quest. Gregory Keck and Regina Kupecky of the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio are recognized as experts in the field of attachment, and they have written a number of related books. We frequently recommend the ever-popular Parenting the Hurt Child and Adopting the Hurt Child. Attaching in Adoption by Deborah Gray is another valuable resource that provides families with many solution-focused tips.

For Michigan residents, we suggest that they link with the Attachment Coalition of Michigan. It is comprised of several adoption therapists within Livonia, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids. They can provide psychotherapy, education, training, and support for adoptive families and agencies. For more information, please visit their web site: http://www.adoptionparenting.net.

A family must have their approval from USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) before their dossier can be sent away for translation. This approval typically takes the form of an I-171H or an I-797C.

The length of time from when the family submits their dossier until they are invited to select a child will vary, depending on the family’s preference. Likely, the wait for travel will be shorter for families wishing to adopt a boy than for families that express a preference in adopting a girl. We estimate that families may be able to travel four to six months after their dossier is submitted to the Kazakh government. The first of the trips will often span three to four weeks. The second trip will take place several weeks later, on average, two to four weeks after the first. The child will come home with the family at the end of the second trip. We estimate that the total amount of time for an adoption from Kazakhstan will run nine to 12 months.

The abbreviation MFA stands for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kazakhstan. LOI typically refers to a family’s official Letter of Invitation, which signals their permission to travel to Kazakhstan and select a potential child.

Both parents must travel on the first trip to accept the child and be present at the court hearing in the region. This process typically ranges from three to four weeks in length. Parents can choose to remain in Kazakhstan for the duration of the two-week waiting period, or they may come home and then return approximately two to three weeks later to complete the case. It is possible for only one parent to travel back on the second trip. After traveling to the region to finalize paperwork, the family proceeds to the U.S. Embassy in Almaty to obtain the child’s visa. The second trip often spans five to ten days.

Families will typically fly into and out of Almaty, a beautiful city surrounded by powerful mountains. If your child’s orphanage is located in a different region, the regional coordinator will have made arrangements to secure travel there by airplane. You will have access to drivers and/or translators when needed, and your coordinator will ensure that you are on time for all of your important appointments.

Escorting may be possible for the Kazakhstan program’s second trip, although Adoption Associates, Inc. strongly recommends that parents travel to bring their child(ren) home. Families traveling on their second trip will be able to bring their child home much more quickly than when using an escort, since using an escort can add an additional four to six weeks of USCIS paperwork. For a child, making the transition and adjustment as he/she leaves the caregiver can be a traumatic experience. Therefore, it is in the child’s best interest that the parents, rather than an escort, bring him or her home. Furthermore, not all regions and/or officials in Kazakhstan allow escorting. This option will only be made available according to the professional judgment of Adoption Associates, Inc. staff when there are compelling reasons to do so.

If escorting is approved on the second trip, the escort must carry a Power of Attorney from the absent parent(s) in order to complete the legal process. Additional fees will also be incurred for the services provided by any AAI escort.

Each person must have a passport with a validity of at least six months and two blank visa pages remaining. A visa is required to enter Kazakhstan. The visa will be purchased prior to travel, and your consultant will inform you when it is time to complete this application. At least one passport photo is required along with the visa application.

You may choose to wire the portion of your foreign program fee before you travel, or you may choose to bring it as cash. You will also need cash for your hotels, sightseeing, and shopping. You will need cash for your adoption documents and your child’s U.S. visa on the final trip as well. Your consultant will be able to assist you in estimating how much money to take with you for each of your trips.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are no required shots for travel to Kazakhstan. However, it is recommended that you be vaccinated for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and typhoid, at minimum. Furthermore, the CDC recommends that you obtain routine vaccinations such as MMR and the DTP if yours are not current. You should also check with your personal doctor and local health department for their recommendations. In general, when traveling internationally, it is best to avoid drinking tap water and beverages containing ice, and eating food cooked by street vendors.

You shouldn’t depend solely on using credit cards while traveling to Kazakhstan. In larger cities, hotels will often advertise that they accept major credit cards, although this can be uncertain as the machines are often broken. The decision is yours, but we strongly advise you to have cash to pay for your hotel accommodations. Your in-country flights and sightseeing excursion fees are expected in cash, as well as the money required for your various adoption appointments and your visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy on your second trip. Any cash that is carried must be in very good condition. Even the U.S. Embassy will not accept worn out or torn bills.

Depending on the region, families will stay in hotels and/or apartments. This will be arranged by your regional representative based on cost, location, convenience, etc. You will find that your representative will take care in selecting accommodations that offer the most resources for you during your stay in Kazakhstan.

Your regional representative will meet you at the airport and will also accompany you on any adoption-related business. Given the amount of time you will spend in the country, representatives can also arrange for any sightseeing that you would like to do.

Potential children can be as young as seven months, although older children are also available for adoption.

Most of the children available for adoption are considered healthy, but it is not uncommon for the children to be affected by the common, often temporary, health concerns typical in institutionalized settings. Children may be malnourished, lacking in important nutrients, or suffering from such ailments as rickets, scabies, and intestinal parasites. It is also commonly expected that institutionalized children will have developmental delays. We can recommend several clinics located in the United States that can offer a phone or fax consultation based on the medical information you receive.

Remember that your child is being taken away from everything and everyone with which he or she is familiar. Your child does not understand your language, and you probably will not understand your child’s. Under these circumstances, it is perfectly reasonable for your child to desire the perceived safety and security to which he or she is accustomed—the orphanage and the caregivers there. Your child may very well be grieving the loss of caregivers, friends, routines, etc. Understand that these feelings are normal, and try to comfort your child as best you can. At the same time, assure your child that you are not taking him or her back to the orphanage.

Children often express their feelings more through behavior than words, and in this situation, your child does not yet have the ability to verbalize how he or she feels. Acting out is his or her way of communicating anger, sadness, fear, etc. Generally, you need to set limits so that your child doesn’t endanger himself, herself, or others. Beyond that, understand that the first few days or weeks will likely be difficult for you and for your child.

Actually, it is quite common for adoptive parents to feel very little toward their new son or daughter at first. The feeling of love for someone often grows out of nurturing and caring for that person over time. Love will come as your relationship grows with the child. At the moment you first meet your child, it is really about commitment rather than feelings of love. Give it time … love will flourish.

AAI strongly recommends that you obtain an independent evaluation from a physician. We can recommend several clinics in the United States that can offer a phone or fax consultation based on the medical information you receive. The physicians with whom we work are familiar with common pediatric issues, as well as the Russian/Kazakh system of diagnosis. This is a valuable tool for families within the program.

In addition, AAI will provide you another valuable resource before you travel to Kazakhstan—an orientation packet. This document contains important information you will want to know, as well as a list of clinics our agency recommends.

While in Kazakhstan, it is best to stick with the foods the child is used to, or at minimum, to choose a bland diet consisting of soft, easily palatable foods. Also, try to follow the recommendations of the orphanage caregiver, particularly if your child is still taking formula.

It is recommended that you wait until you arrive home to introduce different foods. Introducing strange food while in Kazakhstan may cause severe diarrhea or refusal to eat or drink. Remember to schedule an appointment with your pediatrician immediately upon arriving home. Your pediatrician will assist you in determining the best time to present new foods.

The children reside in organized, well-run orphanages and are cared for by loving caregivers.

Yes. Once your child comes home there are many techniques that you can use to assist in the bonding process. We recommend that our families take as much leave time from work as possible to be home with the child. We also recommend that families limit visitors for the first few weeks so that the child has time to learn who his/her family is. Children should not be passed around to everyone who wants to hold them. In the early stages of adjustment this is very confusing to the child. We recommend our families spend a lot of time cuddling their new child, and if the child’s size permits, carry them around in a front pack carrier with the child facing the parent. Infant massage is also a wonderful bonding technique. These and many other helpful hints are listed in our travel packets that each of our adoptive families receive when working with one of our international programs. Also included in the packet is an extensive reading list that addresses attachment and bonding as well as other issues.

Even though your adoption is finalized before you leave Kazakhstan, the Kazakh government requires that each adoptive family submit regular post adoption reports. The reports are due every year until your child reaches age 18. Your consultant can give you more information on the specific requirements. It is likely that the social worker who completed your home study will also complete a portion of the post adoption reports. The remainder will be self-reports that will require an agency signature as well.

It is imperative that you comply with the post adoption requirement. Such reports serve as a means of ensuring the Kazakh government that U.S. families can provide wonderful homes for Kazakh children. Without the compliance of families after their adoption, future adoptions from Kazakhstan by U.S. citizens could be jeopardized.

The Report on Intercountry Adoption of 2004 has an excellent answer for this question:

“Even though adoption is a very normal, acceptable way to build a family, it still is unusual. Therefore, while family and friends can offer a great deal of support, they may not fully understand the questions and concerns of adoptive parents. Adoptive parent groups provide a network of people who share similar experiences. They too, have struggled with the decision to adopt, worked with strangers to find a child, readjusted their lives after placement, and dealt with the curiosity of strangers. Even though they may have traveled different paths to the point of adoption, and even though they may have adopted very different types of children, members of adoptive parent groups have one very important bond: they love and care for children who live with the painful fact that their birth parents could not or would not keep them. Helping children deal with this loss at different stages of life adds a unique dimension to adoptive parenting.

Adoptive parent groups offer a safe and supportive place to raise questions, express uncertainty, vent frustration, brag about successes, and rejoice in the growth and healing of children. An additional benefit is the opportunity for adopted children to meet one another. For children who may believe that adoption has happened only to them, it can be very reassuring to meet other adoptees.”

Before leaving on your second trip to Kazakhstan, make an appointment for a complete physical examination of your child with a pediatrician experienced in the health issues of children adopted internationally. This appointment should be scheduled within a week of returning from Kazakhstan.

The following testing is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for all children adopted internationally, regardless of age or country of origin:
Complete history and physical, including developmental examination and vision and hearing testing
Complete blood count with erythrocyte indices
TSH screening
Rapid plasma reagin (RPR) or VDLR for Syphilis
Hepatitis B profile, including assays for HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs
Hepatitis C antibody and lead levels
Mantoux (intradermal PPD) test with candida control
Diphtheria and tetanus antibody testing, if low, or if child received fewer than 3 DTP vaccines, begin complete AAP immunization sequence
Complete STD screening, if risk factors present
HIV-1 and HIV-2 by ELIZA and by PCR
Stool cultures for Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter, if symptomatic
Stool examination for ova and parasites
Urinalysis

Contact your local county probate court and request two forms—the Application to Establish Delayed Registration of Foreign Birth and the Motion and Order for Delayed Registration of Foreign Birth—to apply for the child’s new state birth certificate and to change the child’s name and/or age (if applicable).

You will then mail the completed forms, along with the requested documents, back to the court. The court will file your application and forward it on to Lansing (or your state capital). Please note that some counties may not allow you to file these forms until the child has maintained residence in the state for at least one year.

NOTE: The procedure for changing the child’s name or obtaining a new state birth certificate may vary from county to county and state to state. In some states, you may be required to readopt; in Michigan, you are not required to readopt. Contact your local county probate court for more information if you are not a Michigan resident.

You can apply for your child’s social security number at your local social security office. (For Michigan residents, please call 800.772.1213.) You will need your child’s new Michigan birth certificate, the final adoption decree in English, and his or her proof of citizenship (Certificate of Citizenship), which should be mailed to you automatically 45 to 60 days after arriving in the U.S.

If you choose to apply for the child’s social security number before obtaining the new birth certificate or before receiving the Certificate of Citizenship, you will have to return to the social security office once you have these items to change the name and age on the social security card or to update the child’s status.

You child will travel home with a Kazakhstani passport and a U.S. visa.

Because both parents will have seen the child prior to the adoption being finalized, the child will travel home on an IR-3 visa, which enables him or her to be granted automatic U.S. citizenship. You will receive your child’s Certificate of Citizenship once you arrive home. This can take several weeks, or possibly even months, to arrive.

While adopted children will grow up in the U.S., it is also very important that they have a knowledge and pride about who they are and their country of origin. This can help in building positive self-esteem for the child.

Every culture has positive components, and as parents, we have a responsibility to teach our children what is wonderful about the country and culture of their birth. Having this knowledge and pride also assists children as they grow, since they will face some of society’s stereotypes and prejudices. Additionally, as the adopted child sees his or her parents taking an interest and being enthusiastic about his or her culture and country of birth, it often builds a feeling of acceptance that may result in the child feeling more comfortable in discussing other adoption-related issues with his or her parents. Finally, adoptive parents find that learning about other cultures can be an enriching experience for the whole family.

AAI offers several opportunities for adoptive families in the area of cultural preservation. Once or twice a year, AAI offers an evening for families to come and learn ways to help preserve culture. Often, older children and adult adoptees speak about their own experiences and share suggestions on what they found helpful while growing up. Adoptive parents can also share their ideas at these forums.

AAI’s other international programs also sponsor these type of events. For families currently in the process of adopting internationally through AAI, your international consultant will also help educate you about your child’s culture and country specifics. Finally, AAI tries to link families with other local resources that may be of interest.

• Cook and bake foods commonly eaten and enjoyed in Kazakhstan.
• Listen to music from your child’s country of origin.
• Familiarize yourself with the Cyrillic alphabet and learn some phrases in Russian.
• Read everything you can about Kazakhstan. Picture books are wonderful for younger children.
• Do simple Kazakh arts and crafts. This can be an engaging and fun activity for your children.

Families are able to adopt more than one child simultaneously if the children are biologically related. The simultaneous adoption of unrelated children is currently not allowed in Kazakhstan.

Information on the tax credit is easily accessible on our web site at http://www.adoptassoc.com/resources/adoption_funding/. Families can also contact the IRS at .

While equal numbers of boys and girls are available for adoption in Kazakhstan, it seems that more families request girls than boys. Other agencies also have found this to be true, not only in Kazakhstan, but from most countries that place children for international adoption. Families open to the adoption of a boy may be able to travel to select a child in less time than a family that only desires to adopt a girl.

The most common (and quite time consuming) mistake that adoptive families make when compiling their dossier is with the required notary language. Often families use notaries with expired commissions. Another common problem is that the notary does not sign his/her name exactly as commissioned, which is required in order to have the document apostilled. Lastly, notaries often neglect to write or type the jurat statement that must state the following: “Signed and sworn to before me in _ County, _ (State) on _(date).” There may be some differentiation in notary language, depending on the state where the document is signed, so families would want to be aware of this prior to finalizing their documents.

In the dossier instructions that families receive from AAI, there is a page entitled INSTRUCTIONS FOR NOTARIZATION OF DOCUMENTS. Families should take this with them each time they are getting a document notarized. If the notarization is done incorrectly, the document must be redone, and this is frustrating and time consuming. Much time, energy, and money can be saved if these troublesome areas are avoided.

AAI international consultants encourage families to use credit cards and/or cash when paying for costly travel expenses. Typically, debit cards have a daily maximum limit that can range from $500 to $1,000, and when a debit card is used for payment over the limit, a couple’s credit may be declined. Therefore, debit cards may pose a particular problem when paying for international airline tickets or an expensive hotel stay. Utilizing a credit card or cash will prevent payments from being denied.

Yes! New to AAI is a site that will allow you to create your own adoption-themed journal and post updates about your adoption journey that your family and friends can respond to with their own comments. Best of all, this service is free to families adopting through AAI.

Families adopting from China, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Nepal, and Russia can customize their journal by choosing a country-specific background. These themes feature children’s artwork created with various types of artistic mediums or international artifacts and will give your adoption journal an international flair. Generic backgrounds are also available for families adopting from other countries.

Have photos that you would like to share? When you create a journal, you will be able to post an unlimited number of pictures to your journal for your family and friends to enjoy without ever leaving their homes. Because all journals are password-protected, you’ll be able to rest easy in the knowledge that only those who have your password will be able to view your postings. Once your journal is set up, simply share the site link and password with friends and family that you would like to keep updated about your adoption journey.

To start your journal today, visit http://www.adoptionjournals.org, or ask your international consultant for more information.

Yes! Because Adoption Associates, Inc. is committed to providing the most professional and comprehensive services to our clients, we offer adoptive parent preparation and adjustment sessions designed to support parents up to and even beyond the placement of their child.

We believe that these sessions will help give adoptive parents the tools they need to make their child’s transition as smooth as possible and allow them to parent their child with more confidence. Because of this, both sessions are required of all AAI families adopting internationally. The cost is included as part of the program fee for families signing up after August 1, 2007.

The first session is designed to prepare parents to receive their child from the orphanage. Led by a licensed psychologist, this hour-long meeting will help to educate clients on what to expect when first meeting their child and include information on the initial adjustment period and how to facilitate attachment and bonding. This session will be scheduled a short time before parents leave to bring their children home and will be conducted in a small group setting with between three and five families in attendance.

The second session will occur four to six weeks after the family returns home. In contrast to the first session, this meeting will be conducted on an individual basis and include a scheduled appointment with the psychologist. The purpose of this meeting will be to monitor the child’s adjustment by discussing topics such as the child’s behavior and the progress he or she has made in attaching and bonding to his or her new parents.

Sessions are also available for domestic adoptive families and non-AAI families. Extra sessions are also available to international adoptive families who would like additional services.

Please contact Kurt Ellis at 616.667.0921 with questions or to schedule a session.