Choose Your Child

Thank you for your interest in adopting a child with Adoption ARK. We are here to make sure that your adoption process is a pleasant and fulfilling experience. The best way to adopt internationally is by traveling to the geographic location of your choice and finding the child of your dreams. We call this "Choose Your Child" adoption. Choose Your Child adoption is the absolute best way to adopt a child. It is the most popular and least stressful way to adopt a child under the age of five. Many of our parents have adopted their children using this method and have been very happy. We can supply you with a list of parents who have completed their adoption through the Choose Your Child adoption program.You may call or email them to ask them about their experience.

Advantages of the Choose Your Child Program

First, you will choose the child based on "real" information. In other words, you will see the child in person, get all his/her medical history, and interact with the child before you make your final decision.

Second, once you select a child you will have very little chance of losing your referral. You will avoid disappointments that are common when people fall in love with the picture of the child and envision an ideal child, projecting their own feelings and desires and then get disappointed when the child they meet has nothing in common with the child they imagined. Many people go through adoption with the idea that they want to find a child they will "click" with. It is true that people get attracted to certain features of a specific child or have a connection with a child because he/she looks like a member of their family. But, many families report that when they meet the child, he/she looked very different than they had imagined. Please, keep that in mind.

One of our adoptive fathers said it best: "Remember, you might think that the adoption is in your hands, or your agency's hands, or the foreign government’s hands, when in fact it is in His hands." From our experience, we can say that most families who succeed with adoption had faith that the right child will come to their family.

So many children live in orphanages or countries that prohibit photolistings, and if families choose only those who are featured, the hundreds of thousands of other children will never have a chance of being adopted. Just imagine how boring the world would be if parents could decide how their biological child would look!

People who go through adoption with the right attitude say, "Adoption is a miracle," and "Your child is there waiting for you!"

The “Choose Your Child” Process

Step 1: Registration Form
To start, you will need to fill out and send us your registration form. You will need to provide us with a few details describing your ideal child, as well as some information about yourself. Your registration form will be sent to one of our adoption consultants. They will email you or call you with information based on your requests.

Step 2: Choosing the Program
Our experienced consultants will answer all your questions regarding our international adoption programs. We will help you decide which program best suits your needs and give you knowledge of what our agency offers you. If you want to get an overview of our programs, please read about out international adoption programs or contact us to request a brochure that outlines and compares the advantages of each program.

Step 3: Sending in the Contract & Submitting the Dossier
Once you have decided on the country that you will adopt your child from, we will send you the adoption contract. Through the Choose Your Child program, you will sign an "open" contract, which means you are not yet specifying a child. You will then fill it out and mail it to our Illinois office with the initial fee. Your contract will be reviewed and accepted by our executive director, Lena Karadjov. At this point, you will be assigned a caseworker. Your caseworker will not only help you complete your adoption but will also be your advocate during and after the adoption process.  The caseworker will guide you through all the paperwork needed for your adoption dossier. She will also keep you updated on adoption related developments from your chosen country. Once the dossier is completed and submitted to your caseworker, she will check it to see if it is complete, translate it into the language of your child’s country, and send it to the required officials.

Step 4: Waiting for Information on Travel
After the dossier is finished comes the waiting time. Waiting time can vary depending on the country you are adopting from and changes that may occur in adoption procedures of that country. Many parents find this to be a difficult period in their adoption journey. But remember that all good things come to those who wait! Your caseworker will keep you informed on the progression of your paperwork. Next comes the moment all parents dream of...that call from your caseworker saying you may now travel to meet your child!

Step 5: Meeting Your Child
You can now take your first trip, or in some cases, your only trip to your child’s birth country. You will travel with your in-country coordinator to the Department of Education and look at the children available for adoption. You will then receive an official referral to travel to the orphanage and meet the child. If this referral doesn't work for you, you can ask for another referral. We want you to feel comfortable with your chosen child. In some countries you may visit the orphanage and meet with the children to choose your child. Your in-country coordinator will help you every step of the way. We promise that you will never feel alone during this time.

Step 6: Becoming a Family
Once you have chosen your child or children, your coordinator will process all necessary paperwork and schedule and take you to all appointments needed to complete your adoption. Depending on the country, this is completed in one or two trips. Once all appointments and paperwork have been completed and approved, then comes the best time of all... you now have your new son or daughter to cherish for the rest of your lives! You can return home and begin your lives together. If you need added assistance once you are home, remember that our staff is always there for you and will help you with whatever issues may arise. We believe in adoption, we believe in your children, and we believe in you!