Boy this is overwhelming!

[frenchteachermama]

Hi there!

So I've spent the past two days looking at websites and speaking to agencies.  There are a few more that I am waiting to hear back from but I thought I would post the list so far and see if anyone has any advice for us, feel free to PM me if you do!  I know that people can have positive and negative experiences with any agency, but I would love your feed back.  Also, what do you all think about the differences between an agency that has multiple offices in different states versus one that is in just one city/state?

Adoptions From the Heart (works in multiple states)

The Adoption Alliance (Santonio, TX)

Independent Adoption Center (multiple states)

Adoption Center of Illinois


Any advice or thought would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[lizblue]

YGPM!

[Rogue]

I did research like you're saying, but only to find the agencies in the area with positive reviews. From there, we met them in person to get a feel for how they were. I think other than what people have listed in other threads, a lot of it is the vibes you get from meeting the people that you'd be working with.

[pinkie]

I'm sorry I don't know much about any of them. Hope you get some feedback from others.

[drl]

We used AFTH and had a good experience. I think the advantage of a multi state agency is you get more exposure, but the downside is your experience can vary based on which office you use.

You can also use personal criteria to narrow your list. Some people want an agency that is or isn't religious based, does or doesn't have a separate fee schedule for minority placements, has low upfront fees, etc.

We went with our gut feeling on what felt right to us. Definitely make that a consideration

[pinkie]

Actually I just reread this and I have heard many good things about AFTH. I have no personal experience but have heard and read positive things.

I agree with the PP about local vs somewhat more national agencies. We worked with an agency across the country and had no issues. But if you like to see someone in person, going with an agency with a somewhat local office is a good idea. I personally like the idea of a local office but then with outreach to other states. I feel this is the best of both worlds.

[frenchteachermama]

Thank you all so much for your feedback!!!