Toolkit – The remarkable impact of adoption-friendly benefits

There are more than 100,000 children in the United States waiting to be adopted from foster care. More families than ever are considering adoption, but according to a 2022 Harris Poll done on behalf of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, 64% say employer supported benefits impact their decision to adopt. Your organization can help waiting children by implementing any or all of these benefit policies.

Adoption Assistance Programs (AAP) – Employer reimburses employee for the cost of adoption.
Paid Leave – Offering paid leave to employees who are foster parents or who adopt.
Flexible Leave – PTO flexibility can help accommodate the logistics of a new child entering the home as a foster placement or through adoption, including finding approved daycare, enrolling them in school or setting up doctor appointments.
Support – Connecting new parents to adoptive and foster care support groups and grant programs.

Recent studies have shown that offering these benefits can make a real difference. In fact, that same survey said, 68% of Americans said having paid leave in the workplace played a role in their decision process. Studies have also shown that these benefits don’t only benefit families, but the organization as a whole, in the form of better employee retention, improved goodwill, and greater appeal to top-level job candidates.

For those considering adding adoption- and foster-friendly policies to their benefits package, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has proven to be a great source for information and industry data. More than 30 years ago, the Foundation’s founder Dave Thomas said that adoption benefits are “simply the right thing to do.” Since then, the Foundation has been encouraging U.S. businesses, hospitals, schools, nonprofit and other organizations to support all working families with robust adoption- and foster-friendly benefits. In 2026, the Foundation added adoption- and foster-friendly certifications to its annual survey to recognize organizations that offer a minimum benefit in each category.

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Employee Benefit News (EBN) is the primary media resource for decision makers in the worlds of employee benefits, human resources and workplace culture. As the dynamics of these spaces continue to shift and become increasingly complex, EBN delivers expert insights to allow business leaders to navigate their industries with agility. From helping benefits managers meet the challenges of reducing care costs and improving retirement plans to providing HR leaders with guidance on building a talented and diverse workforce, EBN drives the conversation and delivers the research and analysis to help readers support their companies’ objectives.

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