Why do we believe in Open Adoption?

Learn more about PairTree's Private Adoption Approach. Today, over 90% of domestic infant adoptions have some level of openness.

Open adoption is consistently proven to be the very best approach to adoption. 

While there are many factors involved in open adoption, experts emphasize the many benefits for children who are adopted. There is substantial research confirming the importance of birth parents to children in adoptive families and the impact of open adoption, including The Minnesota Texas Adoption Research Project.

At PairTree, we believe that the best approach to open adoption is achieved at the earliest stage:  when a woman is weighing whether or not adoption is right for her. And if so, ensure we give her total control over her journey...

Note for Adopting Families:
We know how all-consuming the dream of parenting is. We know how badly you want to be picked, and how strong the drive is to become a parent.

But please hear this: When you adopt, your wants and needs will shift from centering around your desire to become a parent to wanting to raise the healthiest and happiest child possible – which means you will need to be able to answer their questions about their birth and placement openly and honestly.

The best way to do that is for you and the birth family to have some level of contact as the two of you have an obligation to give your children answers to the questions: where do I come from?, who made me?, why was I placed for adoption? …and to help them connect to their history, culture, genetics, ancestry and so much more.

The definition of an open adoption spans a wide range of openness, and does not mean co-parenting. You and the birth family will work together to determine the right amount of openness. Contact in an open adoption may include the exchange of letters and photographs, phone calls, emails, visits – whatever you and the adoptive family are comfortable with.

Want to learn more? Read on at Navigating Open Adoptions by our Community Manager and 2x birth mom Jess.