Adoption Story: Ian and Alyssa

Ian and Alyssa had a whirlwind adoption. But it didn't come without months and months of planning, completing their home study, and working diligently to fundraise. Then came the waiting as they presented their profile. Six months of presenting and saying yes to situations, praying every night as a family for a baby brother or sister to join the family. Then a call about a baby born that changed everything...

Our situation was a "stork drop," which is a little more unique, and also required us to be flexible and trust God's plan. If anything, it gave God even more of an opportunity to show just how in control He is. We got a call at 9:30pm stating that there was a baby ready for us in Florida, and in less than 24 hours, we were in a hotel lobby with the adoption agency, meeting our baby boy for the first time. From airplane tickets to Airbnb's, God brought it all together. It was a special opportunity for us as a family to all travel together and meet our new family member for the first time.

It was all such a shock and a whirlwind that I think we are all still processing and reflecting. It's been beautiful to see how God has been in all of the details of our family's story - of our baby's story. I am so glad we trusted God and took this leap of faith despite the many challenges we faced along the way. The rainbow has been a wonderful reminder for us on this journey. God always fulfills his promises.

Our biggest encouragement to other hopeful adoptive parents on this journey is to BE FLEXIBLE!! As humans, it is in our nature to want to be in control and have a well-thought-out plan for every little thing. Our adoption journey has certainly stretched us in this area. We really had to "let go and let God," and it was amazing to see Him in all the details once we were willing to do that.

Once you take that first step, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and want to give up. Something we had to constantly remind ourselves was that if God has truly called us to adoption, He will make a way. There are so many little pieces that have to come together for adoption to happen. There is no way that all of the pieces come together without a loving and sovereign God who is in charge of it all.

We are thankful for the support from Susan and Christian Adoption Consultants on this journey! There are so many odds and ends that can seem overwhelming. It helped tremendously to have someone to hold our hand throughout this journey.

How Adoption Consultants Work (And How They’re Different from Agencies)

Starting the adoption process can feel overwhelming, leaving many families wondering where to even begin. Between navigating costs, home studies, and the legal requirements of different states, the journey is often complex. This is where adoption consultants and agencies come in, though they serve distinctly different roles in the process.

What is an Adoption Consultant?

Christian Adoption Consultants (CAC) exists to assist, educate, and advise couples throughout their entire adoption journey. They act as a personal guide and advocate, helping to streamline and simplify a process that can otherwise feel insurmountable. 

The main responsibilities of a consultant include:

• Education and Planning: Providing resources on adoption basics, positive adoption language, and various adoption pathways like domestic, international, or embryo adoption.
• Personalized Agency Lists: Creating a customized list of recommended, vetted agencies and attorneys based on a family’s specific budget, preferences, and situation.
• Profile Design: Assisting with the creation of a high-quality family profile book or online profile, which is the primary tool used to introduce adoptive families to expectant parents.
• Financial Guidance: Helping families create a financial plan by identifying grants, loans, and creative fundraising options to make adoption more affordable.
• Risk Assessment: Reviewing specific adoption situations to help families identify potential legal, medical, or financial risks before they commit.

How is a Consultant Different from an Agency?

The most important distinction is that Christian Adoption Consultants is not a licensed adoption agency. While agencies are licensed child-placing entities that handle the legal transfer of parental rights and the actual placement of a child, consultants focus on the support and navigation side for the adoptive family.

Key differences include:

• The Multi-Agency Approach: Most agencies only show you situations within their own program, but a consultant uses a "multi-agency approach." This allows families to apply to multiple ethical agencies at once, widening their net and typically resulting in a shorter wait time—averaging 7 to 12 months for CAC families.
• Undivided Support: Agencies must balance their time and resources between serving expectant/birth parents and adoptive parents. A consultant is hired specifically to support the adoptive family, providing one-on-one attention and guidance through every high and low.
• No Conflicts of Interest: Ethical consultants, like those at CAC,  never accept referral fees or "kickbacks" from agencies or attorneys. They recommend professionals based on their track record of ethics and service, not because of a financial incentive.
• Broad Expertise: While an agency is an expert in its own state’s laws and its specific programs, consultants often have a team of professionals—including licensed social workers and adoptees—with experience across multi-state adoptions and various pathways.

Why Expertise and Ethics Matter

Choosing between a consultant and an agency isn't an "either/or" decision; rather, it's a "both/and" as a consultant helps you choose the right agencies. Christian Adoption Consultants has spent years vetting agencies to ensure they meet strict standards for ethical practices and birth parent care. This includes ensuring that expectant parents receive proper counseling and that all fees are transparent and reasonable.

Ultimately, the goal of a consultant is to equip and empower you to make knowledgeable decisions for your family. By providing a gold standard of support and a transparency promise, they ensure you are never "going it alone" on your path to building a family.

Adoption can be a complex journey, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. At Christian Adoption Consultants, we would consider it an honor to play a small role in the plans God has for your family. Whether you're just beginning to explore your options or are ready to dive in, we are here to provide the hope and expert guidance you need.

Ready to take the first step? Email me at susan@christainadoptionconsultants.com and I'll send you a free adoption information packet!

Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Adoption Agency

We know not all adoption agencies are built the same. Finding an agency you can truly trust for ethical, high-quality services has become harder than ever. Not all adoption agencies operate with the same level of ethics, transparency, and care — and families are feeling the difference. In today’s adoption landscape, discerning which agencies truly operate with ethics and excellence requires more wisdom than ever.

I’ve put together this guide to help you identify the most important questions to ask so you can choose an adoption agency with confidence. Practically speaking, you’ll want to schedule calls with each potential agency, take detailed notes, and even create a simple spreadsheet to compare their answers side by side. Look for consistency, transparency, and clarity. Then, after you’ve done your due diligence, take time to pray and seek peace about moving forward.

Adoption Guide: Questions to Ask Adoption Agencies

Confirm Licensing & Accreditation (Non-Negotiable)

Start with the basics:

• Fully licensed in its home state

• In good standing with the state licensing authority

• Authorized to place children across state lines (ICPC experience)

Ask: “In what states are you licensed, and how long have you been licensed?”

Red flag: Vague answers or reliance on “facilitators” instead of licensed professionals.

Ask About Ethics & Birth Parent Support

Strong agencies prioritize ethical practices and informed consent. Look for:

• Independent options counseling for expectant parents

• Clear explanation of parental rights and timelines

• No pressure on birth parents to choose adoption

• Post-placement support for birth families

Ask: “What counseling and support do you provide to expecting parents before and after placement?”

Red flag: Agencies that focus only on adoptive parents or minimize birth parent needs.

Demand Fee Transparency (In Writing)

Reputable agencies provide:

• A clear, itemized fee schedule

• Explanation of what is refundable vs. non-refundable

• Disclosure of typical total cost ranges

• Clear explanation of birth parent expense policies

Ask: “What is the typical total cost, and under what circumstances could costs increase?”

Red flags:

• Guaranteed placements

• “Low-cost” promises without explanation

• Pressure to pay large non-refundable fees upfront

Understand Realistic Timelines (No Guarantees)

The agency should:

• Explain average wait times, not best-case scenarios

• Clarify how matching works (birth parent choice)

• Be upfront about factors that may extend a wait

Ask: “What is your current average wait time, and what factors most often cause delays?”

Red flag: Promises like “You’ll have a baby within a year.”

Assess Communication & Support

Adoption is emotional and unpredictable. A good agency:

• Responds promptly and clearly

• Offers education and preparation

• Provides consistent updates during waiting and matching

• Has a clear point of contact for your case

Ask: “How often will we receive updates, and who will be our main contact?”

Red flag: Long response times during the inquiry phase.

Research Their Reputation

Talk to past clients. Ask for:

• References from recent adoptive families

• Testimonials that describe both positives and challenges

When speaking with others, ask:

• Did costs match expectations?

• Were timelines realistic?

Check:

• State licensing databases

• Better Business Bureau (patterns matter more than one complaint)

• Independent reviews and adoption forums

Tip: Focus on how issues were handled, not whether issues existed.

Bottom Line When Looking for Agencies

Major Red Flags to Avoid

• Guaranteed placements or timelines

• Pressure tactics or fear-based sales

• Lack of written contracts

• Unclear handling of failed/interrupted matches

• Organizations acting as “matchmakers” without clinical or legal oversight

What a Good Adoption Agency Feels

• Honest, not sales-driven

• Clear about risks and realities

• Respectful of all parties

• Organized and well-coordinated

• Willing to say “this may not be the right fit”

But by now you're realizing how long this might take. Finding agencies that do more than a few adoptions a year, and then calling them one by one to ask all of these questions and verify their responses.

Adoption already requires emotional energy — it shouldn’t require endless hours researching which agencies can be trusted. That’s where Christian Adoption Consultants comes in. We fully vet agencies, ask these detailed questions, and evaluate ethics, transparency, and practices upfront. CAC carefully screens, interviews, and evaluates agencies before recommending them to families. We ask the difficult questions about ethics, transparency, financial practices, and support — because your peace of mind and your child’s future are too important to risk. In a multi-agency approach, trust matters — and we make sure it’s well placed. In a multi-agency approach, you gain broader reach — without sacrificing time or peace of mind. We’ve done the homework, so you can focus on building your family.

You don’t just need more options — you need the right ones. At the end of the day, families shouldn’t have to become investigators to feel confident in their adoption journey. Adoption is too important to leave to guesswork. CAC thoroughly vets each agency, evaluates their practices, and asks the hard questions — so you don’t have to navigate the journey alone. 

Adoption decisions carry weight — and you deserve guidance you can trust. If you’re ready to explore a vetted, time-saving multi-agency approach, feel free to reach out. I would be honored to walk this journey with your family!

Adoption Costs and How Using a Consultant Can Help

How much does it cost to adopt?

Why is it so expensive?

How do families afford adoption?

These three questions are some of the most common I'm asked as an adoption consultant. And really, the underlying, real question behind all of it: How can we ever step into adoption if it costs so much? So many families feel called to build their family through adoption, but too often the costs are the biggest barrier.

At Christian Adoption Consultants, transparency and support are at the heart of everything we do. This guide walks you through the full range of adoption costs, including agency, legal, and travel expenses, and helps you explore grants, loans, and federal adoption tax credits that can help make adoption more affordable.

Typical Fees for Adoption in 2026

Currently, the average costs for domestic infant adoption in the U.S. are anywhere from $30,000 to $70,000. Typically, agencies able to complete an adoption between $30,000-$45,000 are small, non-profit agencies whose fees are subsidized by donors. However, for agencies doing many of the adoptions in the U.S., costs begin at $45,000.

Where do the fees go?

There are many legitimate costs to adoption to ensure that the adoptive family, birth family, and the child are getting quality care throughout the process. Here's a breakdown of where the money goes: 

Agency Fees

This includes administration fees, reports that are required (home studies and post placement visits) and marketing and networking costs. 

Birthparent Care

This is comprised of vital counseling for the expecting/birth parents (both before and after birth), possible living expenses, transportation, maternity clothing, utilities, etc. A good agency will always access community services that are available before asking the adoptive parents to assist with these fees.   

Medical Expenses 

If a birth mother is not fully covered by insurance for prenatal care and labor and delivery, these fees are a part of the adoption process to ensure both the birth mother and baby have proper healthcare. 

Legal Fees

Legal expenses include hiring an attorney for the adoptive parents and often the birth parents to ensure the adoption is handled legally and ethically for all parties involved. It also accounts for court filing costs and representation.  

Why is there such a significant range of fees?

There are several factors that contribute to the range of costs for each individual adoption. Some of these include:

• Geography and the cost of living 
• Specific needs of the expecting/birth family 
• Legal services required
• If the adoption is in-state or interstate 

While it's helpful to see how all of these fees add up, the critical question for hopeful adoptive families is still how to make adopting possible with these expenses. It's rare that families begin their adoption journey with tens of thousands in the bank waiting to be spent on adoption.

How can you make adoption affordable?

Families need to know there are options available to significantly lower the cost of adoption. Here are a few:

Adoption Tax Credit

For 2025, the maximum federal adoption tax credit is $17,280 per eligible child, with up to $5,000 of that amount being refundable. This credit helps cover qualified adoption expenses (fees, court costs, travel) for domestic adoption.

Employer Benefits

Many employers offer adoption benefits such as financial reimbursement, paid adoption leave, or access to employee assistance programs to significantly reduce out-of-pocket expenses.

Grants

There are many grant organizations established to assist families with the cost of adoption. Adoption grants are financial awards given to adoptive families to help cover adoption-related expenses, and they do not need to be repaid. They are typically offered by nonprofit or faith-based organizations and may be based on factors such as financial need, family circumstances, or commitment to adoption.

Loans

Adoption loans are designed specifically for adoptive families and often offer low interest rates and flexible repayment terms. These loans can help families move forward while waiting for grants, tax credits, or reimbursements.

Creative Fundrasing

Many families raise funds through online crowdfunding, community events, and other creative and meaningful ways to share their story. Employer matching gifts, church support, and family-led campaigns can also make a meaningful impact.

Avoid Unnecessary Costs

There are pitfalls in bad agencies, unethical attorneys, risky situations, and unnecessary bills due to ignorance. Families who walk into adoption "blind" with no one to help them through the process often end up losing thousands of dollars this way. You can see that it's critical to find agencies and attorneys that provide ethical and excellent services to both the birth family and the adoptive family. To know that your adoption finances are well stewarded is of the utmost importance.

Affording adoption is not impossible. I've never had a family match with a situation and not have the money available. But that's not to say they didn't do the hard work of saving, fundraising, and financing for their adoption. And when you get down to it, is there any better investment you can make financially than investing in a child?

This is why I love what I do. As an adoption consultant, I help people through the complex task of finding quality agencies, ethical attorneys, and situations that are a good fit for their family. I also connect people to helpful grants and coach them on financing and fundraising. Christian Adoption Consultants has walked with thousands of families through the process of adoption.

The path to adoption isn't an easy one, and there are significant and very real costs both financially and emotionally. But ask any adoptive family if it was worth it for their son or daughter.  I'll bet they'll tell you they would have paid ten times more if they had to, now that they're on the other side and see the infinite value of their child.

Adoption is worth the cost.

Ready to learn how Christian Adoption Consultants can support you on your journey?

Contact me for a free info packet and consultation at susan@christianadoptionconsultants.com. I would love to chat about your hopes and dreams to build your family and help make it happen!

Adoption Story: Marc + Christy

"God won't let you miss your baby."

It's a truth I've seen over and over and remind families of often. When families are faithful to put their "yes" on the table, it's incredible how God aligns so many details. Marc and Christy's story of how they grew their family through adoption is one of trusting in God's plans, walking by faith, and watching God's faithfulness on full display. It was a joy to watch them celebrate their first of many Mother's and Father's Days in awe of God's goodness. 

In 2024, we decided to trust God and applied to an adoption agency that we read about twice over a four-year period in a daily devotional. The agency graciously rejected our application because we weren’t local and they were already at capacity. However, they recommended Christian Adoption Consultants. After praying and gathering ourselves, we applied to CAC and were connected with Susan VanSyckle, who was absolutely phenomenal and perfect for our family. She was so sweet, encouraging, informative, and prayed for us! Susan quickly reached out and talked us through the process and answered all our questions.  She was so kind and thorough and was so encouraging with all of our questions.  We knew that God is faithful, but this was going to be a front row seat to see Him be faithful in growing our family through adoption. Through our adoption process, God taught us to trust in Him and His amazing faithfulness, patience, how to hear His voice more clearly, and how to persevere in our prayers!

Because the Lord was the one to nudge us to adoption, we knew he was going to be faithful; we just had NO idea how perfect his plan and timing would be. We made the decision to sign on with Christian Adoption Consultants. Susan was amazing in helping us gather the information we needed to get everything together and eventually start applying to agencies. To say there is a lot of paperwork in this process would be an understatement. We felt bogged down at times with all the paperwork we needed to fill out, but the Lord continued to nudge us forward at exactly the right time. For everything, we were continuing to trust in him and practice patience as things were not happening in our timing, but His timing each step of the way.  We were filling out paperwork for our first agency and had some questions and concerns about substance exposure.  We reached out to Susan, and she was able to talk us through some of our concerns and then so gently say, “God is not going to let you miss your baby.” Wow, that made us stop in our tracks. You know in your mind that God is in control, but to take a step back and trust Him in something so big and personal, now that is a step of faith.  We heard this truth loud and clear and checked the boxes we felt led to check and gave the rest to the Lord.  

Once we became active with several agencies and started seeing situations, we would pray about each and ask God if we should present or not, reminding ourselves over and over that God was in control of our family.  He was not going to allow us to miss what He had for us.  Hearing ‘not yet’ each time was not easy, but we kept hearing what Susan said to us “God is not going to allow you to miss your baby” and we kept reminding ourselves of the verse “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:11). We knew we just needed to be faithful to the God who is so faithful and follow His voice and leading. 

One day, we received a situation, but we could not open it on any device. We prayed about it and talked it out, and felt this was the Lord protecting us from something.  Two days later, we were contacted by one of our agencies, sharing that an amazing birth mom had chosen us and asked if we were able to accept this match. God is so good, because we were thrilled and honored to be able to accept the match, as we had not been able to open or present to the last situation we saw a couple of days prior. God orchestrated EVERYTHING more perfectly than we could have ever planned on our own. We were matched on the Friday of Mother’s Day weekend, and we signed placement papers on the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend. You know God can do the impossible and is faithful down to the last detail when you read stories in the Bible, but we were awestruck to see how faithful down to the last detail he was through our adoption journey.  From the paperwork, to presenting to situations, to the timing of being matched, to the travel, to our son’s amazing and sweet birth mom, to the love and support of our family and friends, and all the people we met along the way, God was in every detail and we could not feel more blessed to have gone through this process.  To those of you thinking about adoption, just starting your journey, or in the wait, know that God is with you and writing a perfect story for your family, so don’t be afraid to lean into Him in every step. He is writing a story that will draw you closer to Him along the way and touch others as you share your testimony.

Guarding Your Child's Adoption Story

Here’s a question most families DON’T know to ask at the beginning of their adoption journey: 

How do we protect our child’s story?

It’s one that is rarely asked in the beginning because so much of adoption at the front end of things is about the adoptive parents: how should we go about adopting? How do we find an ethical agency? How can we afford adoption?

But a question ALL adoptive families should be asking, even before adopting, is how to protect their future child’s adoption story.

Here’s why: people are naturally curious about adoption, about the process, and about the people involved. And we want friends and family to be on the journey with us: with their support and prayers. But our role as parents is to protect our child’s story from the very beginning. Because really, this is their story, even more than it's ours.

So how do we balance inviting people into the story while also protecting the children involved?

Ultimately, we are careful about sensitive information regarding the child, their birth family, and many of the specifics. We want to protect sensitive information that includes things like why an adoption plan was made, the specifics surrounding their conception, and if there’s a history of any mental health or substance use. There’s a difference between being secretive and protecting privacy.

Two helpful questions to ask before sharing ANY information:

    Is this something I might regret sharing later?

    Does this respect my child’s privacy and the privacy of their birth family?

It’s important to remember that once information is shared, it can never be taken back. And we don’t want others in our child’s life to know more of their story than they do.

So how can you gracefully respond when people ask questions you can’t answer? We could say something like We want him to be the first to hear about his/her adoption story, and so we have chosen not to share personal details of their story with others. Or that's her story, so I want to respect her privacy by not sharing those details. Thanks for understanding.

If you’re currently at the beginning of your adoption journey, it might help to give friends and family a heads up about how you plan to protect these details, so they know why you’re sharing generalizations. This can actually head off a lot of awkward conversations right from the beginning.

Parents have a vital role in their children’s lives to be staunch gatekeepers of their story: to keep it safe and protected until the child decides who they want to share their story with, in their own way and in their own timing.

Because ultimately, it's a child’s story to tell.

Adoption Story: Tyler + Molly

"We are full of hope and are excited for what the future holds. We know God’s timing is perfect and we are leaning into that as hard as we can and doing our best to be patient as we continue through this season of waiting."

That was from an email Tyler and Molly sent me in August. None of us knew then that there was a baby already born who would be their daughter. Just weeks after their declaration of hope and trust in God's goodness, they welcomed a little girl into their home. Today Tyler and Molly share their adoption story.

Through our adoption journey, God has taught us patience, faith, and perseverance, which is no surprise. As any of you who have started down the adoption path have discovered, it is challenging, difficult, and a lot of work! Being on the other side now, though, we can tell you that it is so worth it. It is beyond what we could have even imagined. God's timing is always perfect, even when we cannot see it or feel it in the struggle of the process. About a year into our adoption journey, we thought we were finally reaching a happy conclusion to our story. Ultimately, we ended up going through a sudden and completely surprising failed adoption. We were at one of the lowest points of our lives in the aftermath, wondering what was next: do we even want to continue with this, and would having a child ever become a reality for us? Little did we know, while we were in those dark days, there was a baby being born that would ultimately be coming home with us a couple of months later. Of course, God knew all of this; He was perfectly orchestrating our story and could see to the other side. While we were in the lowest valley, we never lost hope in Him. Now that we have seen the rest of the story and the happy ending for our family, it is amazing to look back and see how God was refining and preparing us. God doesn't plan for bad things, but allows them to happen. He then creates beauty from those trials and hardships we face. We just want to encourage all of you who are in the middle of the storm, feeling trapped, or like there is no end in sight. Keep your faith and eyes on the Lord. Keep loving each other well, praying, and do not give up. Jeremiah 29:11 offered us so much encouragement: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

We also want to send a huge shoutout and thank you to Susan, our consultant at Christian Adoption Consultants. It is hard to put into words how much help Susan and the entire CAC team were for us in this adoption journey. From creating our profile, finding a reliable home study provider, to selecting and getting us on the lists of the various adoption agencies, it was a wonderful experience. There is no doubt, we could not have done it without them. The process has an extremely high workload at times, and our stress level was reduced by a large amount, having Susan and the whole CAC team there to guide us along step by step. The Adoptive Parent Guide was another great resource for us to be able to go look at on our own. When we did reach out to Susan, her communication and response time were so incredible. She was always thoughtful, understanding, very caring, and willing to do anything she could to help us out. If you are considering adoption and looking at going the consulting route (which we highly recommend!) then you cannot do any better than Susan and her entire team at CAC. 

Want to start your own adoption journey and story of hope, contact me here!