November is National Adoption month, a month set aside to raise awareness about the urgent need for adoptive families for children and youth in foster care.

The history of National Adoption Month dates back to 1976 when Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis announced the first Adoption Week. Governor Dukakis’s idea grew in popularity and quickly spread nationwide. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week, and in 1995, under President Bill Clinton, the week was expanded to the entire month of November.

Every November, the Children’s Bureau leads this initiative by way of a collaborative partnership between Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKidsVisit disclaimer page that supports activities that promote the adoption of children and youth from foster care into permanent, loving families.

Courtesy of the Children’s Bureau website.

National Adoption Day is a collective effort to raise awareness of the more than 125,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. A coalition of national partners — the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Alliance for Children’s Rights and Children’s Action Network — founded National Adoption Day.

National Adoption Day was started in 2000 by a coalition of national partners, which included The Alliance for Children’s Rights, Children’s Action Network, Freddie Mac Foundation and Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

Courtesy of the National Adoption Day’s website