For more information, go to the website at

http://www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org/

The goal of Adoption-Friendly Workplace initiative is to encourage employers to offer adoption benefits and to help employees find out how to advocate for benefits at the workplace. The program is sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the National Adoption Center.

Each year, American families adopt more than 100,000 children. They come from the United States and other countries; they may be babies or older children; brothers and sisters; children with disabilities.

No matter what type of child is adopted, the adoption process demands time and money, and creates stress that can affect job performance.

An employer can ease the burden, maintain productivity and provide equity for all employees creating families, whether through birth or adoption, by offering a benefits package that includes financial support, leave time and resource and referral services.

What is an Adoption-Friendly Workplace?

While all organizations that offer adoption benefits are different, there are some similarities in the types of benefits that adoption-friendly companies offer. Below is a brief summary of what many companies offer:

Financial reimbursement

Employers who offer financial assistance generally start by offering $1,000 per adoption or matching maternity benefits—with some employers offering as much as $15,000 for eligible expenses.

Time off

Time off is generally offered as:

Understanding

A little understanding can go a long way. Providing even the most basic financial assistance and a small amount of time off sends a message to employees of caring and equality.

Learn more

We've put together a simple guide that helps make the decision to add adoption benefits in the workplace easy. In this guide, you'll learn:

The guide also features a CD-ROM with valuable resources:

For employees:

For employers