In the age of Google and tech-savvy toddlers, answers to questions about adoption are often just a click away. For adoptees looking to start the process of tracking down birth parents, these national websites offer a jumping-off point:
Adoption Registry Connect
Adoptive Families
American Adoptions
Center for Adoption Support and Education
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Find My Family
How to Investigate
OmniTrace
But while the information may be more accessible, the emotions surrounding adoption can still prove complicated. Here are local support groups and services for adoptees and their parents:
Adoption Star
917-470-9340
Provides support and educational materials/programs to adoptive parents, plus free counseling.
Adoptive Parents Committee
212-304-8479
A support group that offers education about adoption issues and pre- and post-adoption discussion groups.
Ametz Adoption Program
694 DeGraw St., Brooklyn
718-622-1665
Home studies, workshops, and support groups are offered as well as ?discussion groups and social events.
Bethany Christian Services
292 Fifth Ave., Suite 400
212-714-3550
Assists those struggling to adopt.
Catholic Guardian Society and Home Bureau
1011 First Ave., Manhattan; 212-371-1011
A domestic and international adoption program that offers its services throughout the metropolitan area. The organization serves families and children in all communities and at all stages in the adoption process. Counseling is also offered to expectant mothers seeking parenting options.
Coalition of Hispanic Family Services
315 Wyckoff Ave., 4th Fl., Fresh Pond, Brooklyn
718-497-6090
Offers foster care and adoption for teens and placement for children who have been abused, and works with birth parents to facilitate reunification.
Community Counseling and Mediation
1 Hoyt Street, 7th Floor, Downtown Brooklyn
718-802-0666
Provides support, education, and counseling and offers adoption placement services.
Downey Side Adoption Agency
210 W. 31st St.; 212-714-2200
Aims to prevent homelessness by recruiting families for kids 7-17.
Forestdale, Inc.
67-35 112th St., Forest Hills; 718-263-0740
Offers preventive services to provide stability in the home, plus support for families and children who have been in foster care.
Foster Parent Advocacy Foundation
332 W. 141 St., Ground Floor, Hamilton Heights; 646-402-6133
Helps parents advocate for their children by teaching them about child welfare and protection laws.
Graham-Windham
33 Irving Place, Gramercy; 212-529-6445
Supports children and families post-adoption.
Harlem Dowling Children’s Services
2090 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.; 212-749-3656
Assists parents and children with family crises; finds adoptive parents and foster families for children when necessary.
HeartShare, Human Services of New York
12 MetroTech Center, 29th Floor, Downtown Brooklyn; 718-422-4200
Offers support for families caring for kids with developmental disabilities and assists with daily household challenges to make family life easier.
Jewish Child Care Association
120 Wall St., Lower Manhattan; 212-425-3333
Support for adoptive families: workshops, counseling, and group support.
LDS Family Services
217 E. 87th St., 4th Floor; 212-876-7427
Adoption and pregnancy services, family counseling, support groups, medical and legal arrangements, and adoption placement.
New Alternatives Post Legal Adoption Network
37 W. 26th St., 6th Floor; 212-696-1550
Supports families with children with medical conditions and disabilities.
New York State Citizen’s Coalition for Children
501 Fourth St., Brooklyn; 607-272-0034
Provides support, information, and advocacy for foster and adoptive parents and professionals.
NYC Administration for Children’s Services
150 William St., Lower Manhattan; 212-341-0900
Offers resources and information on the process of becoming a foster/adoptive parent.
Spence-Chapin Post Adoption Resource Center
410 E. 92nd St., Upper East Side; 212-369-0300
Provides support, workshops, and counseling services for birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adoptees.
Wide Horizons for Children
254 W. 31st St., 5th Floor, Chelsea; 212-967-9808
Offers pre- and post-placement support and counseling for adoptees and parents.
You Gotta Believe
1728 Mermaid Ave., Coney Island; 718-372-3003
Finds adoptive parents for young adults, teens, and pre-teens before they “age out” of the system and become homeless.
