Child Adoption: Costs, Legal Records & Finder's Guide

Adoption processes vary significantly, with options ranging from private arrangements to unsealing closed records. Prospective parents should evaluate the costs and legal requirements, including rules for specific backgrounds.

Pros & Cons of Adoption

Published Jun,13 2017 | By Mark Applegate

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 641,000 children lived in foster care in 2012. Even with 52,000 adoptions in 2012, 102,000 were still legally ready for adoption with no parental rights' strings attached.

Based in Bolivar, Mo., Mark Applegate has been a professional writer since 2003. An experienced Christian entrepreneur, Applegate work covers business, careers and technology as well as religious topics. He has primarily published in print in the "Cedar County (Mo.) Republican" and the "Republic (Mo.) Monitor" along with an host of online publications. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Colorado Technical University and currently serves as the information technology director at a local public school.