Are there eligibility requirements for the program?

Agencies look for prospective parents who can provide a loving, stable environment to a child in need of a home. Applicants must be flexible and able to accept a child where there are many unknowns in their background. Both parents must be able to travel. Generally, the applicants must be at least 25 years of age. Those who desire to adopt from China must be at least 30 years of age. Some agencies require that a couple must have been married a minimum of one year before being considered, and remarried couples must be married a minimum of two years. Single applicants will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. One parent must be a U.S. citizen. Applicants must meet the standards established by the State of Texas, U.S. federal government and foreign government for approval as an adoptive home. These standards are met through the successful completion of a home study by our Buckner staff.

In recognizing the need for a child to be nurtured in a loving Christian home, applicants are expected to be Christians and active members of a church within their community. The family shall have financial security appropriate for their age, occupation and the community in which they live. Their income should be sufficient for the normal additional expenses incurred by adding a child to their family, paying the adoption reimbursement fees and the legal expenses for finalizing the adoption. The family should have some provision for financial security in case of the death of the wage earner. Life and health insurance are required.