Join us for Bagels & Blox, our adoptive family playgroup for children 0-6. We'll provide food and fun while you enjoy breakfast and connect with other adoptive families. Our staff will answer questions and provide helpful parenting resources and our volunteers, who are adoptees themselves, will offer childcare support.

All of our events are open to the public. Adoptive parents with kids ages 6 and below and their siblings are welcome to attend.

All Bagels & Blox and Play Cafe events are free. Advance registration is required as limited spots are available.

Join us for Play Café, a quarterly event for adoptive families with children 6-8 years old! Kids in Play Café enjoy crafts and adoption-related activities while forming friendships with other adopted children.

This event occurs concurrently with our Bagels and Blox playgroup for adoptive families with children 0-6 years old. After the group enjoys breakfast together, adopted kids ages 6-9 years old will go into a separate area for Play Café. Adoptive parents, younger kids, and siblings will stay in our playroom to have fun and meet other adoptive families. Our staff will answer questions and provide helpful parenting resources and our volunteers, who are adoptees themselves, will offer childcare support.

All Bagels & Blox and Play Cafe events are free. Advance registration is required as limited spots are available.

REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 12PM CST FRIDAY, SEPT. 13TH! Register at link below.

This two part workshop will aim to give information to adoptive/foster parents on the basics of pre and post adoption/foster care parenting and what to expect. The pre-adoption session will focus on some of the main risk factors that parents need to consider prior to parenting. The post-adoption session will discuss initial screening for the child with history of adoption/foster care and what may be needed to maximize their potential.

About the Speakers:

Judith K. Eckerle, MD is the Medical Director of the Adoption Medicine Clinic (AMC) at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Eckerle assists families pre and post adoption with consultation, referral and clinical services. Her academic interests include FASD research, adoption and foster care issues and global advocacy for children.

Megan Bresnahan is an Occupational Therapist at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. She has worked closely with the Adoption Medicine Clinic for 13 years. Megan has a passion for working with children along with their families and caregivers to build trusting relationships to achieve desired progress and outcomes.

The Barker Adoption Foundation is hosting an online webinar focused soley on our international adoption programs and services. If you are exploring your adoption options, programs or a specific country, but would like to understand the process and requirements, this is the perfect way to get started.

We will share information for each country we work with- China, Columbia, South Korea, and India as well as details on the children in need of adoptive families within each country, services we provide if you are living outside of the Virginia, Maryland and Wachington D.C. area, and answers to your questions. 

This is a free webinar for prospective adoptive parents who are currently living outside of the Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. Registration is required. Please register here: https://www.barkeradoptionfoundation.org/about-us/events/international-adoption-information-webinar-3

Date: 9/18

Time: 9pm EST

This is a support group run by birth parents, for birth parents. Meets every third Thursday of the month.

Adoptive parents had always been told it would be impossible.  Turns out, more adoptees are locating birth family members - someimes on their initiative, other times with help of adoptive parents, hired "searchers" or, on rare occasion by happenstance. While we have helped plan parts of search travel for years, now we are offering the first ever webinar/workshop that explores some consistent avenues for exploring family "roots".   This is not a "how to" do search in order to acheive good outcomes, it is a collection of information compiled  from years of travel search assistance, observation, and anecdotal summaries.  This session provides insights into likely avenues, useful tidbits and cultural insights that can increase the likelihood  for good outcomes, while minimizing time wasters. 

The Little Rock Teen Group is held four times a year. Each session is a stand alone, which means teens are welcome to join for just one session or all four! Each session we will discuss topics on identity, birth family, race, and other adoption related topics. We will also allow time for games and hangout with other teens in the group.

Cost: $40 per session

The fee includes registration and activities.

JOIN US AT SPENCE-CHAPIN'S 5TH ANNUAL ADOPTION FAIR!

Hear from adoptive families and adoption professionals and meet and mingle with other prospective parents while learning about the different ways to adopt. This event is free to attend. Come for the whole time or stop by to say hello!

We Will Be Joined By:
Spence-Chapin
The Barker Adoption Foundation
Catholic Guardian Services
Children’s Home & Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (CHLSS)
Gladney Center for Adoption
Law Offices of Laurie B. Goldheim
HelpUsAdopt.org
Rosin Steinhagen Mendel
Rumbold & Seidelman, LLP
Adoptive Parents Committee (APC)
...and more!

Considering adopting? Want to learn about adoption programs at Spence-Chapin?

Join Spence-Chapin staff to learn about the current landscape of international and domestic adoption and the needs of the children waiting for adoptive families. We’ll discuss the scope of all Spence-Chapin adoption programs including international adoption (South Africa, Colombia, and Bulgaria) and domestic adoption, as well as Spence-Chapin’s adoption services.

Bring your questions! The meeting will include ample opportunity to have your questions answered.

PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) is a nationally recognized training model used for families who are interested in adopting an older child from the foster care system. The Barker Adoption Foundation is holding classes at the Bethesda, MD office over a period of four Saturday's from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  Our first session starts September 28. Families have the opportunity to learn about adoption from the foster care system and to better understand the needs of children who are being placed through  our older child adoption program - Project Wait No Longer (PWNL). Training is a requirement for all families pursuing adoption through the foster care system, but it is also a learning experience so you can have a better understanding of what your new child has been through and how to best meet their needs. 

Many families use the training experience to confirm their commitment to adopting a child with a history of trauma. It also provides the opportunity to build relationships with other families who are adopting from the foster care system and to build relationships with PWNLstaff. Two highlights from the training include hearing from a family who has adopted through PWNL and a presentation from PWNL's Placement Coordinator on the matching process. 

Register Now!

The Kansas City Teen Group is held four times a year. Each session is a stand alone, which means teens are welcome to join for just one session or all four! Each session we will discuss topics on identity, birth family, race, and other adoption related topics. We will also allow time for games and hangout with other teens in the group.

Cost: $35 per session

The fee includes registration and activities.

Join us for Bagels & Blox, our adoptive family playgroup for children 0-6. We'll provide food and fun while you enjoy breakfast and connect with other adoptive families. Our staff will answer questions and provide helpful parenting resources and our volunteers, who are adoptees themselves, will offer childcare support.

All of our events are open to the public. Adoptive parents with kids ages 6 and below and their siblings are welcome to attend.

All Bagels & Blox and Play Cafe events are free. Advance registration is required as limited spots are available.

MAKE A BRAND NEW LIFEBOOK OR UPDATE AN EXISTING ONE!

Join Spence-Chapin for a fun and exciting workshop that allows children of all ages to be the author of his or her life story! Making a Lifebook – or updating an existing one – provides an invaluable tool for children to process their unique adoption story and share it with others.

Through words and pictures, your child will explore who they are and where they come from. Our staff will guide and support your family as we work together to honor your child’s history. We'll provide all the materials your child needs to create their Lifebook, which they'll fill with stickers, drawings, family photos, and adoption mementos.

Recommended for children ages 6 and up. Siblings are also welcome to attend.

To learn more, please contact us at 646-539-2167 or email postadoptionservices@spence-chapin.org.

Learn about The Barker Adoption Foundation's adoption programs at our general adoption information session. Agency staff will describe each of our programs: Domestic Infant Adoption, Older Child Domestic Adoption - Project Wait No Longer, and International Adoption Programs. This session is open to anyone living in Virginia, Maryland or DC. You will also hear from a family who has completed the process speak about their experiences and answer questions. 

Register Now!

In this program, aside from exploring the beautiful and welcoming country of Colombia, individuals and families will have the unique opportunity to play an integral role in finding permanent homes for vulnerable children by visiting them and spending a week together.  Each liaison will have a designated child (or children) deemed a good fit, to accompany them throughout the tours and activities of the In-Country Hosting Program.  During this time, the liaisons will be gathering information about the child; by the end of the week, the liaison will have a unique perspective about the child’s personality, social ability, peer relationships, physical abilities, medical needs, etc.  As a liaison, you will keep a daily journal of observations about the child.  As an advocate for that child, you will be their best representative to a potential adoptive family!  And do not be surprised if YOU are that family!

The Tulsa Teen Group is a five session program. Each session is a stand alone but to help with building relationships with those in the group we offer it in five session increments. Each session we will discuss topics on identity, birth family, race, and other adoption related topics. We will also allow time for games and hangout with other teens in the group.

If you missed the first session you are still welcome to join! We have found if possible the more consistent the group can be the greater the bond between participants. These programs are offered in both the spring and the fall, giving a break during the summer months.

Cost: $60 per five session program

The fee includes registration, facilitator fee, and activities.