Canadians are invited to participate in ALL of our programs, including Prayer Warriors, Connecting the Rainbow, Family Sponsorship, our Yahoo group…Reece's Rainbow is truly a global ministry and open to advocates and donations from all nations.
Your RRC Director is Shannon Stepanek. She is located in Ontario, and has done an incredible job of building agency partnerships and researching the Canadian adoption process for the growth of this program. Your Family Coordinator is Sara Beamish. Sara will guide our Canadian families through the adoption process. As RRC continues to grow, we are always in need of help and volunteers. They are essentially starting from scratch in Canada to seek out agency partners, province by province, to assist families wishing to adopt the children listed on our Reece's Rainbow website. Many months of research and relationship-building has led to this information page and accompanying links for Canadian families! This is an ongoing effort, just as it is ever-evolving in the US too. Please check back often for updates!
Currently, we have established partnerships for adoption in Ukraine, Russia, and Bulgaria. Potential adoptive parents must work with licensed agencies, except for Alberta and Saskatchewan residents. Alberta and Saskatchewan residents can go independent.
* Please note, RRC has partnered with a French translator who can help RRC communicate with our French Canadian families.
*** Prior to inquiring about a child or country program, please read *carefully* below to determine your eligibility and financial preparedness to adopt internationally.***
1. A family must be HOME STUDY APPROVED before they can make a commitment to a child.
2. Intercountry adoption is regulated under provincial, territorial and foreign adoption laws. Please read the adoption process for your province or territory adoptiveparents.ca
3. Sign up to support the ministry through your online shopping at IGive.com
4. Potential adoptive parents need an income that is at least equal to the minimum necessary income the Canadian government determines each year. This is known as the "Low Income Cut Off-Line." The LICO income is based on your Gross Annual Income. You have to provide Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) with documents that show your financial resources for the past 12 months and prove you are financially able to sponsor your child.
5. If you are married, one of you must be 25 years of age and a legal Canadian citizen.
6. Consider any criminal history you have, no matter how long ago it happened, and speak confidentially with your new family liaison about which countries may approve you and how to best document those events.
7. Consider any mental health issues that you have, including minor depression, anxiety, post-partum depression, ADHD, bi-polar, suicidal thoughts, etc. Backgrounds such as these do not automatically disqualify you to adopt, but it is crucial that you share this information upfront to help us best guide you through the process. If you have a *current*diagnosis of any of these and are on medication for them, please also share that confidentially upfront.
8. You must be in a stable financial position to begin an international adoption. There are grant and loan foundations out there which *may* be of help, but it will not be upfront. Granting and loan foundations typically require a completed home study before you can even apply, and are usually used for final travel costs and agency fees. Upfront costs include: 1) your home study ( this number will vary depending on your province) and 2) initial agency fees (approx. $4000+) in order to make an official commitment for a child.
9. If you live in a rural area, far away from adequate educational and medical resources (children's hospitals, therapists, other medical specialists), please only consider children who are relatively healthy, whose needs you can more reasonably and realistically meet without major travel burdens or other frequent, necessary medical interventions.
10. Military families are WELCOME! If one parent is currently deployed or a deployment is scheduled soon, it will not be possible to begin the adoption process until that parent has safely returned home.
11. At this time, there are NO foreign countries which permit same-sex couples to adopt. The site for Canadian domestic adoption is http://www.canadaswaitingkids.ca
12. Determine the best country options for your family from our Program Comparison Chart.
13. Read about the International Adoption Process
14. Learn more about travel abroad, it is so exciting!!
15. Order and read the book The Connected Child, by Karyn Purvis
16. Learn about your options for financial assistance and fundraising (grants, loans, tax credits, etc)
17. Read about the other families who are currently adopting a child with Down syndrome through Reece’s Rainbow
18. Read about the children who are already home!
19. Don’t know much about Down syndrome? Read these books!
20. Join our Yahoo group, to join our “family of families”, lean on others going through the same process you are, and to stay abreast of news, needs, and announcements
If everything looks good for your family based on the pre-commitment requirements listed above, we invite you to further discuss country programs and waiting children. We will respond promptly to help you determine which country program and child/children is right for your own family dynamics and travel abilities. There are programs available for larger families, older parents, and single moms! Reece's Rainbow provides many wonderful ways you can still make a life-saving difference, even if you're not able to adopt yourself!
Agencies and Resources
International adoption is a journey, no matter where you are from! Reece's Rainbow Canada is here to help you every step of the way. Reece's Rainbow has already established/is establishing relationships with various agency partners in each province to serve all of the countries our children represent.
Once you have chosen the child and country program you would like to pursue, Canadian families must go through the same secondary pre-approval process with Reece's Rainbow that American families do. These documents will be e-mailed to you from your new family liaison, and include a:
- Family Sponsor Application (for fundraising and waiting child grant eligibility)
- Family Disclosure Form
Cost of International Adoption
Ukraine $30 – $35,000
Bulgaria $28 – $33,000
Russia $45 – $55,000
These are approximate costs. Please talk with your agency about costs associated with an international adoption.
CANADA DOES ALLOW THE INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS!