China

In 1994, Gladney's first adopted child from Shanghai, China came home to the United States. Since that time, Gladney has placed more than 1,250 children born in China with families living in the United States.

The China Adoption Program of today, overseen by the China Centre for Children’s Welfare and Adoption in Beijing, focuses on finding families for children with a diagnosed medical need and children who are physically healthy and over the age of 9. Gladney’s established adoption program in China is as strong as ever! We have enjoyed working even more closely with adopting parents over the past few years. With pre-adoption training to prepare parents, Superkids humanitarian aid trips to benefit waiting children, and post adoption support to all family members, Gladney is proud to be a part of creating hope for children and parents.

With the expansion of Gladney's Superkids Program, Gladney with begin to assist prospective adoptive parents on guided visitation trips to China at the invitation of local child social welfare institutes. These trips are part of China’s Ai Xing Da Shi (‘Loving Heart Ambassador’) program. During a guided visitation trip, prospective adoptive parents are able to spend time with children living in social welfare institutes and eligible for international adoption. During the visitation periods, prospective parents will be able to gain an understanding of a child’s abilities, skills, and personality. Through child centered activities, prospective adoptive parents will be able to observe motor, communication, and cognitive skills. Parents will have the opportunity to learn from caregivers more about the child’s physical surroundings, routine for daily activity, physical health, therapeutic care, and education. These visitations provide the prospective adoptive parents with helpful information to proceed with the adoption of a child in a better-informed manner, or conversely, to recognize that a child has more complicated needs than can be met within the parents’ available resources.

If you are considering adoption from China, or if you are an adoption advocate, and would like information about our Superkids program, please contact superkids@gladney.org.

Couples interested in adopting through Gladney’s China Program must meet the following guidelines:

• Married for a minimum of two years
• China will only place children with heterosexual couples or single women
• Each parent must be at least 30 years old at the time of dossier submission
• One parent must be a U.S. citizen
• No more than 5 children under the age of 18 living in the home
• The youngest child must be 3 years old at the time of dossier submission
• Some flexibility regarding age of child
• Express an openness to a child with a medical condition

To read the full list of requirements, please proceed to Exploring Adoption »