New Resource For Adopting Older Children!

CCAI WAITING CHILD PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2012
The Waiting Thread
New Resource for Adopting
Older Children!
CCAI is excited to announce the release of a new
book, Toolkit for Adopting an Older Child! With
so many older children being made available for
adoption and now being adopted, it became
clear that an informational book providing
preparatory information for families considering
or already entering into their own older child
adoption was much needed. Toolkit for Adopting
an Older Child is our effort at CCAI to provide
insight from both professionals and families who
have adopted older children into the unique
challenges that adopting an older child can
present. This book explores the initial
adjustment of a child over the age of 5 into a
family, how to cope with basic, immediate needs,
and how to prepare for long term behavioral,
emotional, and developmental difficulties. It is
our sincere hope that this book will meet the
need of our families to have a resource to help
them thoughtfully consider and prepare for the
adoption of an older child.
Toolkit for Adopting an Older Child is now available
in hard copy for $12.95 (plus S/H) and is also
available in an e-book format. To purchase your
copy of this insightful and valuable new resource,
please visit CCAI’s gift shop at
http://www.chinacharm.org/
Welcome New Henan Families!
If you are waiting to bring home, or already are home with a child from
the province of Henan, then make sure to stop by
www.henankids.blogspot.com This is the site for our non-profit, Henan
Kids International, which works hard with CCAI to raise money and
awareness for the kids still waiting in orphanages in Henan. You can
follow families’ trips to China on the blog, connect with other families,
donate money to your child’s orphanage, and find out how to contribute
to our current fundraiser, our annual HKI calendar. For more
information, please contact Emily Adcox at [email protected].
www.ccaifamily.org
CCAI WAITING CHILD PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2012
Last Month’s Statistics
In August, the CCCWA released
31 children’s files designated to
CCAI, 14 girls and 17 boys. 19 were
Special Focus and 12 were LID-only
(must be matched to a family with a
dossier already in China).
Ages of Waiting Children matched in August:
13
5
3
3
0
0
24 children were matched with their families in
August, 10 girls and 14 boys! Of those matched
children, 20 were from our agency-specific list, and 4
were from the CCCWA’s Shared List of Waiting
Children. Families matched in August who had
Medical Conditions Checklists (MCCs) on file with CCAI
(87% of the families matched this month) ranged from
January 2011 to July 2012. 2 children were accepted
as part of the Special Focus Program.
Of the 24 children matched in August, 6 have cleft lip
and palate, 6 have heart disease, 3 have limb
differences, 2 have developmental delays, 2 have
imperforate anus, and the remaining children have
the following special needs: albinism, diaphragmatic
hernia, Down Syndrome, hemangioma, intersex, etc.
3 children have multiple special needs.
Question of the Month:
Q: What can I be doing NOW to be prepared to receive a child referral?
1. Know where you will send a potential child referral file for medical review! Will your family
pediatrician be available to assist you, especially on short notice? Do you have an International
Adoption Clinic in mind where you could email a file? Particularly when a quick decision is required
for a child match, it’s helpful to know in advance who will help you to fully understand a child’s
medical situation.
2. If your dossier is already in China, make sure you have a copy handy! At the time you accept a child
match, you’ll need to fill out a “CCCWA Worksheet” with some basic information about your family
that matches what was presented in your dossier.
3. Make sure your immigration approval is current! CCAI strongly encourages ALL families with a
Medical Conditions Checklist (MCC) on file to get and keep their immigration approval current!
4. Continue researching not only the medical conditions you have indicated openness to, but also the
resources in your area for treatment and support when you come home!
5. Check to ensure that CCAI has your correct phone numbers and email addresses, especially if they
have changed since beginning your adoption process!
www.ccaifamily.org
CCAI WAITING CHILD PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2012
In the Spotlight…
“Quan” - ZJQ0612.1.5
Male, DOB 6/9/2011
This little boy was abandoned when he was
approximately three months old. Based on his
physical development and condition at that time, his
date of birth was estimated to be June 9th, 2011. He
was diagnosed with congenital heart disease and an
umbilical hernia. However, these ailments have
healed on their own. He has been also been
diagnosed with developmental delays.
He can stand while supporting himself on something,
call out ba ba, and crawl. He can understand adults’
instructions. When the nanny is happy, he will smile,
but when the nanny pretends to be angry, he will
lower his head and not look at the nanny. He can turn
and look at things on his own, he loves to smile, and
he likes to crawl by himself and play. He asks the
nannies to hold him, he is a bit shy, and if strangers
hold him, he will cry. He can make a few sounds at
people and things, and when he hears some people
call his name, he will turn his head looking for the
origin. He can understand adult’s facial expressions.
He is lively, active, likes to play by himself, loves to
play with toys, is very interested in sounds, likes to
listen to music, loves to smile when he sees familiar
people, and likes to be held. His biggest fear is to be
alone by himself , and when he is crying his little heart
out, it’s best to hold him or pat him.
This precious little boy’s file is marked “LID-only,”
which means he must be matched to a family who
already has a dossier in China (or is very close!).
Please hurry – CCAI has only a short amount of
time before his file must be returned!!
Contact:
[email protected]
www.ccaifamily.org
Important Reminders:
Keep Your Immigration Approval Current!!
ALL families with Medical Conditions Checklists (MCCs) on file are STRONGLY encouraged to GET
and KEEP their immigration approval (I-171H or I-800A approval) current with the correct age range,
gender(s), and medical conditions they are open to and approved for. If your immigration approval
is not current and inclusive of special needs at the time you are matched, it will significantly extend
your timeline between match and travel. As families who have “been there and done that” will tell
you, the wait gets much harder AFTER you are matched, and you don’t want ANY unnecessary days
spent holding that sweet little picture while you wait to travel!
Complete your Parent Training!!
Your parent training requirements must be complete before you can file your I-800 paperwork.
Your travel to China can be DELAYED if both parents have not fulfilled the training requirements by
the time your acceptance letter (LOA) arrives. If you have questions about parent training, please
contact CCAI’s Parent Training Coordinators at [email protected] or
[email protected].
CCAI
6920 South Holly Circle
Centennial, CO 80112
Phone: 303-850-9998
Fax: 303-850-9997
www.ccaifamily.org
Your Waiting Child Program Staff:
Pam Rodriguez
[email protected]
303-850-9998 x 35
Sarah Harmon
[email protected]
303-850-9998 x 25
Judy Winger
[email protected]
303-850-9998 x 38
Tony Goffredi
[email protected]
303-850-9998 x 19
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