Day celebrates adoption in Idaho

For 25 years, National Adoption Day has been celebrated just before Thanksgiving, making the holiday season a beautiful reminder of the Idaho families who lovingly grow through adoption.

In recognition of National Adoption Day this year, Idahoans gathered at the Bingham County Courthouse in Blackfoot to celebrate these very special children and families. The Senate also recently passed a resolution I co-sponsored that promotes national awareness of adoption and the children awaiting families, celebrates children and families involved in adoption and encourages the people of the United States to secure safety, permanency and well-being for all children. 

The Senate resolution includes the following statistics of interest: 

• There are 368,000 children in the foster care system in the United States, approximately 108,000 of whom are waiting for families to adopt them; 

• The average length of time a child spends in foster care waiting to be adopted is 34.9 months; 

• In 2022, 18,500 children were at risk of aging out of foster care by reaching adulthood without being placed in a permanent home; 

• While 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have considered adoption, a majority of individuals in the U.S. have misperceptions about the process of adopting children from foster care and the children who are eligible for adoption; and 

• Since the first National Adoption Day in 2000, more than 85,000 children have joined permanent families on National Adoption Day.   

It is also important to note that many families also await being placed with a child, and birth parents who do not believe they are in a position to parent their child should know how many loving couples there are out there very eager and able to adopt. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare provides information and resources for those looking to find out more about adoption in Idaho, at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.   

In an ideal world, no child would want for a loving home and parents who support them. But, as we all know, life is often far more complicated. Adoption is a way of rewriting less than ideal circumstances and providing children and families opportunities to thrive. A key point of the Senate resolution reads: 

“Every Day, loving and nurturing families are strengthened and expanded when committed and dedicated individuals make an important difference in the life of a child through adoption.”   

I am grateful to the many Idahoans who choose to adopt, guide and encourage Idaho children, who are truly our most important and cherished gifts. They show us all a better way by turning heartbreak into growth. I will continue to support measures to help ensure the health and welfare of Idaho’s children and the strength of families who open their hearts and homes to Idaho’s children in need of families.   

Mike Crapo represents the state of Idaho in the U.S. Senate. He can be reached at crapo.senate.gov.