Children have big dreams. Yet, for the 513,000 children remaining in foster care nationwide, their biggest dream of having a loving, permanent family is often a dream deferred. The National Adoption Center, and its regional affiliate, the Adoption Center of Delaware Valley (the Center), work closely with parents, adoption agencies and the public sector to facilitate adoptions for children through media outreach, information and education, matching and referral services. This “home-grown” program originated in the area covering the Delaware Valley, was later expanded to include several adjoining states, and eventually became a model for the country. Specifically, the Center seeks to expand adoption opportunities for the waiting children who live in foster care. Since 1972 when the Center began, it has facilitated permanent adoptions for 3,500 children in the Delaware Valley and over 21,000 in the United States.

Key program areas include: public awareness and recruitment through regional media outlets, as well as corporate partnerships; information and referral services provided to more than 30,000 potential adopters each year; Wednesday’s Child Philadelphia, a weekly television segment featuring the region’s waiting children; Wednesday’s Child, a regionally-focused website, which allows viewers to read descriptions and see photos and video features of children waiting to be adopted; Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, one of several projects in the country that provides intensive recruitment for individual children in Delaware and Southern New Jersey; the Adoption Clubhouse, an educational and supportive website for adopted children; informational publications describing ACDV programs and the adoption process; Matching Events, functions that bring together prospective adoptive families, waiting children, and their social workers to help families become acquainted with available children through engaging and fun activities; and our Adoption Roadmap, an educational online continuum of courses that an (pre-) adoptive parent, social worker, teacher or other involved person can use to better understand how the adoption process works and better fulfill her/his role throughout the adoption process.