Adoption Education

MLJ Adoptions is here to educate, guide, and support you as you develop the knowledge and skills you need to successfully parent an adopted child.

Preparation is key for becoming the best parent you can be for your adoptive child. Adoptive parenting can be difficult, but so rewarding. All parents come to adoption with their own history, knowledge and experiences. The children who are in need of a family, also come with their own history. Parents may need to gain specific knowledge or develop certain parenting skills based on their referred child’s individual needs. This is true if you are adopting a 12 month old with no known special needs from Nicaragua or a teenager from Ukraine with several known additional needs. All families are different and the best preparation includes a recognition of those differences.

Our MLJ Adoptions team members will  create a personalized plan for adoption preparation based on the needs of the family and child you plan to adopt. Our Adoption Preparation Education program has been designed in accordance with Hague guidelines, relevant research, and client feedback. All plans will include core courses, core assignments, and a culture course specific to your child’s country of origin. Additional courses or assignments are offered based on the country program, child you intend to adopt and family characteristics.

MLJ Adoptions partners with the National Council for Adoption to provide core courses meeting Hague requirements. These courses include high quality videos featuring adoptive families and experts in the field of adoption, child development and medicine. MLJ Adoptions supplements these core classes by providing culture courses and Stress and Adoption. The cultural course is where you will learn in-depth information about the child’s country and culture. Stress and Adoption is an important course for parents to learn techniques to cope with stress. MLJ Adoptions will also provide support and resources to help best prepare you for parenting your specific child once a referral is received. All courses may be taken in a convenient online format. Once you are an MLJ Adoptions family, you will be able to access these classes through our client portal. Further information can be found in your Adoption Education Guide.