The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) along with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) hosted a roundtable discussion to celebrate corporate leaders in Adoption Friendly Workplaces as well as move the dialog forward on how to support and advocate for increased access to workplace benefits.
For over 30 years, The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, has led the initiative advocating for adoption benefits in the workplace. And since that time, they have seen big strides in how companies are supporting their employees. According to the 2024 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace Survey, the average financial reimbursement was $16,422, weeks of paid leave for adoptive parents was 9.6.
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, a non-partisan organization, has advocated for workplace benefits for adoption as part of its mission to eliminate barriers that hinder children from their right to a permanent family. Recognizing that financial constraints can be a significant deterrent to adoption, the CCAI has actively advocated for the inclusion of adoption benefits in employee benefit packages. CCAI aims to make adoption a more accessible and affordable option for families, ultimately helping more children find loving, permanent homes.
Your Adoption Finance Coach Vice President of Operations, Lisa Schuster, joined in the roundtable to discuss the impact and importance of workplace benefits in helping families overcome the financial barriers to adoption. “It was incredible to see so many individuals whose passion it is to support families through adoption come together with the shared mission of advocating for workplace adoption benefits and learn about the work being done. Lowering financial barriers is key to the work we do with families at Your Adoption Finance Coach and this is a critical resource for so many families”.
Andrew Lewis with KPMG, one of the DFTA top 100 Adoption Friendly workplaces, shared that bringing adoption benefits came from a deep passion to support families through adoption and an understanding of how impactful these types of benefits are.
Understanding the importance of these benefits and the increasing number of companies that offer these benefits is key to helping to advocate for benefits in your own workplace. If your workplace does not currently offer workplace benefits, there are resources to help, like this toolkit from Vesta for Families. Or fill out this form and they’ll reach out to help support you in advocating for adoption benefits at work.