Adoption in Stockton

Stockton Adoption, Home Studies and More

Adoption Services for
Birth Parents and Adoptive Families

Please choose where you’d like to begin:

Information about placing
a child for adoption
or
Information about adopting a child

Are you living in the Stockton area and interested in learning more about adoption? You can get all the information you need from the adoption coordinators at Lifetime Adoption Agency. They can help birth parents considering placing their child for adoption and parents hoping to grow their family through adoption.

As a nationwide leader in domestic, open adoption, Lifetime Adoption has the experience and knowledge to lead you through your adoption journey. Our experienced adoption coordinators are and ready to help you. For over three decades, we have been connecting birth families and adoptive families. You can believe in Lifetime. We will provide you with resources such as webinars, counseling, podcasts, adoption articles, referrals. You will know you have all the support you need.

Help for Pregnant Women in Stockton

Are you in the Stockton area and facing an unplanned pregnancy? Lifetime Adoption can help you. Our caring adoption coordinators can explain modern adoption and create a plan for you. You will receive all the information and resources you need. All you need to do is call, or text and our kind and caring adoption coordinators will be there for you. Lifetime Adoption coordinators are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you feel parenting is not the right thing for you and your baby, finding a loving home with adoptive parents who are emotionally and financially ready may be the best choice. At Lifetime Adoption we believe in an open adoption, and this means you will make the choices for yourself and your baby. You can look through Lifetime family profiles and choose the adoptive family that is the best fit for you and your baby. You will also decide how much contact you would like to have with the family once the adoption process is complete. How things will go at the hospital is also up to you.

Along with an unexpected pregnancy, unexpected expenses may come up. These extra funds can be hard to come up with. For pregnant women who choose adoption, there may be some assistance available for pregnancy-related expenses such as maternity clothes, rent, food, phone, transportation, and more. Talk to your Lifetime Adoption coordinator, and she will help you find the support and resources you need!

Are you in Stockton and struggling to raise a toddler or young child? Lifetime Adoption has many families interested in adopting toddlers, older children up to the age of seven, sibling sets, and special needs children. At Lifetime, we understand that life can be hard and that finding a better, safer life for your child is a great act of love. You will find a caring, non-judgmental adoption coordinator ready to help. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will answer all of your questions and provide all the information you need. She will then walk you through the entire adoption process and provide you access to counseling.
Call or text Lifetime Adoption anytime, and we will be there for you.

Adoption Agencies in Stockton, CA

Lifetime Adoption is a nationwide agency and can help you place your child with a family in your state or in another state. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will guide you through all of your options and support you through the entire adoption process.
At Lifetime Adoption, you will have:

Adoptive parent profiles from across the country to choose from. All Lifetime families have completed their home studies which include background checks
Referrals to peer and professional counseling
24-hour support available seven days a week
Assistance with pregnancy-related expenses such as maternity clothes, transportation to doctors, and other needs
Continued support after your adoption is final
And much more!

Adoption Counseling in Stockton

Referrals to professional and peer counseling are important resources that Lifetime Adoption provides. When experiencing an unexpected pregnancy talking with a professional counselor can help. Adoption is a big decision, and a lot of emotions can come up during your adoption journey. A counselor can help you through the process.

Peer counseling allows you to talk with women that have been through the adoption process and want to help other women with their journey. Speaking with a woman who can share her experience and share how she dealt with parents, birth father, working with the adoptive parents, and other issues can help you through your adoption process.

Maternity Hospitals in Stockton

As the due date gets closer, some women begin to have some anxiety. This is natural, and with the added stress of an adoption, it can feel a little scary. Your adoption coordinator will create a hospital plan, so you will know exactly how everything at the hospital will go. She will find out what your wishes are by asking many questions such as:

When you go into labor and arrive at the hospital, who would you like in the room?
Do you want the adoptive parents to head to the hospital when you go into labor?
Will you hold your baby first or after the adoptive parents?
Who would you like to feed your baby first?
Will you go home before your baby is released or after?

The hospital plan you and your coordinator create will make sure that everything goes the way you want in the hospital. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will share your plan with the hospital staff and the adoptive parents, so everyone knows and follows your wishes.
In the Stockton area, there are several hospitals with labor and delivery services:

Whether you choose Dameron Hospital, San Joaquin General, or St. Joseph’s hospital to deliver at, your coordinator will communicate with your hospital. Even if something unexpected happens, our experienced adoption coordinators can handle it. They have worked with women who have decided to give birth at home and even birth mothers who were surprised and have gone into labor while traveling out of state.

More Helpful Resources for Pregnant Women in Stockton

Are you in Stockton and dealing with an unexpected pregnancy? You may feel unsure if now is the right time in your life to parent and don’t know where to turn. A Lifetime Adoption Coordinator can connect you with resources and information to help you make decisions about your pregnancy. You want to really consider your choices and make sure you are in a place of stability and not a place of panic.

If you are dealing with a domestic violence situation or homelessness, you need to find secure housing for yourself. Here are some resources for women’s shelters in Stockton and the surrounding area:

Women’s Center of San Joaquin County

Stockton Center for the Homeless

Gospel Center Rescue Mission

Is hunger an issue you are struggling with? If you are pregnant or the mother of young children, the WIC program is a valuable resource for you. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and provides an EBT card to purchase healthy food such as cheese, vegetables, whole grains, fruit, eggs, and milk. They can also offer referrals to local services. Learn more by visiting their website:

WIC – in Stockton

Professional help is important if you are struggling with addiction. A treatment center can offer options if you currently have an addiction to prescription drugs or opiates, for example. It can be dangerous to abruptly stop using drugs without treatment, even more so if you are pregnant. A professional rehabilitation center can offer medications (like methadone and suboxone) along with counseling. These medications help because you can slowly wean off opiates in a way that is safe for you and your baby. Counseling will also be provided, which will help you overcome your addiction. Here are a few resources in Stockton:

Aegis Treatment Center

MedMark Treatment Center

New Directions

For any other additional resources you are in need of in Redding, a Lifetime Adoption coordinator can help. She will provide confidential help and assist you with any issues, questions, or concerns you have. We can help with pregnancy verification, prenatal care, transportation, rent, maternity clothes, and more. Call or text today.

How to Start the Adoption Process

If you have decided that placing your child for adoption is the best option for you, you will want to know how to get started. This part is easy, just call or text Lifetime Adoption or fill out the contact form. You will work with a Lifetime Adoption coordinator to make an adoption plan. She will walk you through the process and make sure you have all of the services and resources you need. You will find a caring adoption coordinator available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Your adoption coordinator can have you view Lifetime adoptive families online and can send your profiles to look over. You will be able to read letters, watch video messages, and learn about their interests, beliefs, and parenting views. You will decide on the qualities you feel are important. You will be the one to choose the adoptive parents you feel are the right choice for your baby unless you prefer the adoption coordinator to do this for you.
When choosing a family, you may want a family who lives in California or some other state. You can view adoptive family profiles online by clicking here. When a family is chosen, your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will work with you to begin building a relationship if that is your desire. Your adoption coordinator works with you and the adoptive parents throughout the whole process.

Your Lifetime coordinator will be there to help you find all the community resources in Stockton you need during your pregnancy. You may need prenatal care and transportation to get to an appointment, for example. Your Lifetime adoption coordinator will help you with those connections.
Just text Lifetime today to get started.

Get In Touch

Other Paths to Adoption in Stockton

If you are unsure if adoption is the right choice for you but are unable to parent at this time, foster care may be an option. You may be in a situation where your baby is born with signs of exposure to substances. In this case, the Human Services Agency of San Joaquin County may decide to place your baby in the foster care program. Both these situations are not ideal, and unfortunately, you will not be able to choose who will parent your child or if you will be able to have any contact.
You may also choose relative or kinship adoption. With this choice, a close family member, who is usually blood-related to the baby, can apply to adopt your child. Relative adoption can come with its own challenges. While this can be a great solution, be sure your relative understands this is not temporary. They will be this child’s parent. There can often be some issues with the roles everyone will have going forward and boundaries that everyone will need to work through.
Think about the pros and cons of each option, and then only you will decide which kind of adoption is the right one for you and your baby. All of these options can be explained by your adoption coordinator.

Adopting in Stockton

Can you imagine bringing your future child to a Stockton Heat game or wandering through the Children’s Museum of Stockton? Do you live in the Stockton area and are considering adoption? How do you get started? The Lifetime Adoption coordinators are available to guide you through the adoption process. Your adoption dreams can come true. Just contact Lifetime Adoption, and you will learn all about open domestic adoption and what to expect during your adoption journey.

Our expert Lifetime Adoption coordinators are great at matching birth mothers and adoptive families. So, if you are in the Stockton area and are thinking about adopting a newborn or child up to the age of six, contact Lifetime at 209-222-3650. You can also fill out our free online adoption application to begin the adoption process.

Begin the Adoption Process

The adoption process can seem overwhelming but don’t worry. You are not going to navigate this process on your own. The first thing you will do is fill out our online application. Applying is free and filling out the form will not obligate you in any way.

You will then be contacted by a Lifetime adoption coordinator. She will describe our adoption program and answer any and all of your questions. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will go over your information and create the best adoption plan for you. Every step will be explained and your coordinator will be there to walk you through the entire adoption plan.

Adoption Attorneys in Stockton

An adoption attorney will be one of the important aspects of your adoption. California adoption laws can be complex. It is critical that all the paperwork is filled out correctly and all laws are followed. Official papers will need to be filed with the courthouse and hearings scheduled. This will all be completed by your adoption attorney. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will refer you to a Stockton adoption attorney.

Home Study Services in Stockton

A home study will be necessary if you choose to adopt. Your adoption coordinator will connect you with a Home Study Service provider in the Stockton area.
Included in a home study are financial verifications, background checks, education hours, employment information, and a home visit. This key step must be completed to move forward on your adoption journey.
So, how does the home study process work in Stockton? A criminal background check will be run, and you will gather the following documents for your home study provider.

Employment and financial statements such as tax returns and paystubs.
Medical Verification Statements from your medical professionals confirming you are both mentally and physically capable of parenting a child and every adult living in the home tests negative for tuberculosis
Your friends and family will provide three written references from verifying that you are suitable to parent
Verification of your marital status

A home visit will be scheduled with your home study social worker to establish that you have a safe and acceptable home to bring a child home to. Your views on parenting, marriage, and family will also be discussed. Your home study provider will speak with everyone in the home and collect all of this information and combine it into a report to be submitted to the judge.

Finalization of Adoption at Court

Once your home study has been completed, you have been matched with a birth family, and your baby has finally arrived, you are nearing your final step. This will be the finalization of adoption at the courthouse.

Finalization of adoption, according to California adoption law, requires that the finalization will take place no less than six months from when you take the baby into your care. There must be at least one interview in your home by your home study provider and three additional visits with your social worker within a six-month period.

Your adoption attorney will file all of the adoption paperwork at the district courthouse and set a date for the hearing. In Stockton, that will be at the Superior Court of San Joaquin County at 180 E. Weber Ave., Stockton, CA 95202. Now the exciting part, at this hearing, after the judge reviews your documents and the home study report, she will issue the final decree of adoption. Time to celebrate!

Other Paths to Adoption

Stockton International Adoption Agencies

Every family’s path to adoption is different. Choosing your family’s path is a very important and personal decision. One path some families choose is international adoption.

International adoption has its own particular choices. One choice is what country you would like to adopt from. The nations of Africa, Eastern Europe, and China are some of the most preferred countries to adopt from. You will want to consider the political climate of the country, the adoption laws and customs of the country, and many other factors. These issues will influence a family’s choice of country.

If choosing an international adoption, consider adoption agencies that specialize in adoption in the country you are interested in. Be sure they have a successful track record of adoption in your country of choice. Here are some agencies that specialize in international adoption:

Adopt International

Holt International

Foster Care Adoption

If open or international adoption does not seem like the right choice, foster adoption is another option. In Stockton, you can get all the information you need at The Foster Parent Network.
In addition, you can also view children waiting to be adopted in the foster care system across the nation at AdoptUSKids.