Many children in Vermont - from infants to teens - currently live away from their families in foster care. These children and their families need caring people like you to help them through a difficult time. There are many ways you can help, with one option being adoption.

Contact Information

Vermont Family Service Division

Toni Yandow

(802) 864-7467, Ext. 2006

toniy@lundfamilycenter.org

Para información en español, contacte:

Toni Yandow

toniy@lundfamilycenter.org

Licensing Requirements for Foster or Adoption

To become a licensed foster parent in the state of Vermont, you must be at least 21 years old, live in Vermont and have sufficient income to support your family. For more information, please visit the Project Family website. Or you can visit the Vermont Department for Children and Families website.

If you are interested in adopting a child in Vermont State custody, you can visit the Project Family or Vermont Department for Children and Families websites.

Does it Cost to Foster or Adopt?

There may be nominal costs associated with becoming a foster parent, though most will be reimbursed. This is also the case if you adopt a child in Vermont State custody through the state of Vermont.

If you work with a private agency, they may charge fees. Any questions about private agency fees should be answered by that agency.

If you adopt a child who is waiting in foster care in another state, there may be costs. However, when families adopt children who are in foster care and eligible for subsidy, the families may be eligible for reimbursement of some adoption-related costs, such as attorney’s fees and court fees, through the child’s state and/or federal options. Many families use low-cost adoption options every year.

Parent Support Groups

Casey Family Services maintains a library for circulating books, tapes, monographs and articles. You can either stop in to browse their library at their office in White River Junction or Winooski or you can call either office to ask that a title be mailed to you. The contact information is: White Rive Junction at 1-800-607-1400 or (802) 649-1400 and Winooski at 1-800-244-1408 or (802) 655-6688.

The Vermont Adoption Consortium also has a lending library of books, articles, audiotapes and videotapes for families. This library is housed at East Seals Vermont in Berlin. To borrow from this library, call (802) 223-4744.

Agency Contact and Orientation Information

Orientation:

The Vermont Adoption Consortium, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Foster/Adoptive Family Association regularly sponsor workshops for adoptive parents, pre-adoptive parents, foster parents and/or professionals.

Agencies:

Information on Children

There are 1,436 children in foster care in Vermont; 265 of these children are waiting for adoptive families.

Upcoming Events

Call us for more information.

2009 Sustainable Respite Mini-Grant Awarded

The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids in partnership with NACAC (North American Council on Adoptable Children) has awarded 1 of the 20 mini-grants to the Vermont Kin As Parents (VKAP) who will partner with the Vermont Department of Children and Families to improve the availability of and excellence in respite care.

Strong respite care programs require community involvement and partnerships. Such programs are the most effective way to assure that respite care will be available to families for years to come.

Lynn Granger

46 Main Street

Winooski, VT 05404

(802) 388-4725

kinlmg@comcast.net