Celebrating National Adoption Day

Celebrating National Adoption Day

By: Sylvia Mathews Burwell, HHS Secretary

As a daughter, I’ve been blessed with the joy of being a part of a loving family.
And as a mom, I know personally the joy of being a parent. My husband and I adopted our son, and he and our daughter are the greatest blessings of our lives.
For us, every day with our children is a gift. But as any parent knows, every day isn’t always easy. That’s why at HHS, we like to say, “you don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.” You don’t have to be perfect to take part in the joy of bringing an adopted child into your family. You just need to be willing to make a commitment.
At HHS, our work to promote adoption is about spreading this joy to children and families throughout our nation. On National Adoption Day, we celebrate the progress we’ve made in helping connect millions of children with their “forever family.” And we recommit to doing more.
Unfortunately, new data show that the number of children in foster care nationally has increased for the third year in a row. Older youth and teens have lower adoption rates than younger children, and they often wait longer to be adopted. And while youth aging out of foster care are faring well in many outcome measures, they are still more likely to experience homelessness or be uninsured.
This is heartbreaking – and we can do something about it.
That’s why we’ve partnered with AdoptUsKids and the Ad Council on a series of public service announcements designed to encourage prospective parents to consider adoption –particularly adopting older youth. Because every kid at every age needs a supportive, loving home.
READ MORE: Celebrating National Adoption Day