Help a prospective parent become “perfect”

There are many myths around adoption. People often think that it’s expensive, or that you can’t adopt a child you already know. People think you need to be married, or of a certain age or ethnicity. People sometimes think you have to be perfect, too.

The truth is that adoptive parents come from all walks of life and economic backgrounds. But despite differences in lifestyle, they have one thing in common: they have offered love, stability and commitment to a child in need.

Today we’re releasing a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) that encourage prospective parents to consider adopting an older youth from foster care. Our PSAs are intended to show that you don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. The ads show a series of humorous parenting mishaps, which can make adoption seem more realistic and approachable.

Currently there are nearly 102,000 children (under 18 years of age) available for adoption from the foster care system in the United States. Older youths (aged 11 – 17) are overrepresented within this population, and often experience greater difficulty getting placed with a family.

We need your help spreading this message. Here’s how you can get involved:

·         Share our PSAs: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65203-hhs-and-ad-council-consider-adopting-older-youth-from-foster-care

·         Share our website AdoptUSKids.org or info line (1-888-200-4005 – English; 1-877-236-7831 – Spanish) with someone you know who has considered adoption

These new PSAs are part of the Ad Council’s ongoing campaign with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and AdoptUSKids.