Michael Nash, a former LA judge, started opening his courts on Saturdays with the help of volunteers in the late 90s to help finalize a backlog of adoptions. Inspired by Nash's dedication, National Adoption Day has been held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving since 2000, highlighting courts and organizations in 400 communities across the country that finalize adoptions from foster care and raise awareness for more than 100,000 children still awaiting permanent homes. This year, National Adoption Day is on Saturday, November 22.
The Children's Trust funds a variety of parenting education programs and strives to keep families together if it is safe to do so. In some cases, however, the best way for a child to develop and be cared for is to enter the foster care system and find a family through adoption.
"We all come together to create a brighter future for children seeking a forever home. To the families opening their hearts and homes, your courage and kindness inspire. To the children joining these families, you are proof of the resilience of the human spirit. Together we are changing lives and building futures," said Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court & Comptroller and former The Children's Trust Board Member Juan Fernandez-Barquin, at our National Adoption Day event last year.
Sadly, the need for adoptive families has never been greater. The National Council for Adoption examined the adoption dates between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023, finding a continued decline in adoptions from foster care across the country, reaching its lowest level since 2003.
The importance of fostering and adoption is essential to fill in the gaps for society’s children and youth that cannot continue with birth families. Whether adults have experienced instability as a child themselves or they are aware of the importance of providing a child with a stable home life and unconditional love, there is a child waiting to join their family. Their lives will change after adoption, and the unique and loving relationship between an adoptive child and parent that is unlike anything else.
And, there's plenty of support along the way. Adoptive parents receive a monthly stipend to help financially and receive access to postadoption services until the child turns 18. Additionally, adoptees receive tuition and fee exemption for any Florida public state university.
The majority of adoptions come from foster families. To adopt a foster child in Florida, there is almost no cost, and the state will reimburse you up to $1,000 in adoption costs, including attorney's fees. Adoptive parents are also eligible for a federal tax credit. The process of adoption through the foster care system takes roughly 6 to 12 months, which means we could be celebrating a child finding a place to call home and your family becoming whole during next year's National Adoption Day.
Children aged between 0 and 5 years old are the most likely to be adopted. According to a 2025 meta-analysis study of children in this age bracket, "catch-up in linear growth in children under the age of 5 is biologically possible when the environment children are exposed to is improved profoundly and comprehensively." These outcomes are heartening for anybody involved in adoption. But, there's a lot to be said about adopting older kids, too. Just ask Yasmin Snyder, who entered the foster care system at five and was in line to be adopted three times. For a young child, the cycle of hope and despair she endured each time a potential adoption came up was a difficult reminder of the limitations of the system. Thanks to the Miami Heart Gallery, a website funded by The Children's Trust and Citrus Family Network, she was finally able to build a connection with a new family who could relate to her story.
"I have arrived at my destination, absolutely. There's no more looking for me. And there's no more wondering and there's no more worrying about where I'm going to end up next. No, because I have my loving family here to support me and to love me and I love them," said Yasmin, whose story was featured during The Trust’s 20th Anniversary campaign.
If you're wondering if adoption is right for you, read more here. To explore adoptions in Miami-Dade County, visit the citrusfcn.com/adopting and miamiheartgallery.com/.