Adoption Resources

Adoptions of Indiana
Adoptions of Indiana is a full service adoption agency. We provide services such as adoptive preparation/home studies, adoptive education, matching, placement, post-placement supervision, and ongoing adoption education and support to adoptive families, adoption options counseling to expectant parents, pre and post-placement counseling and support services to birth families, search and reconnection services to adult adoptees, and community adoption education.

Adoption Support Center
6331 North Carollton Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 255-5916 (call or text)

On Your Feet Foundation
On Your Feet is not an adoption agency, but rather a partner for birthparents and agencies that supports all their needs. The emotional, financial and educational resources you need for post-placement success can all be found through On Your Feet.
The primary resources offered by On Your Feet include:

• A supportive community of birthparents.
• Financial, educational and career coaching for birthparents.
• Supportive retreats for birthparents and adoptive parents.
• Discussion facilitation between birthparents, adoptive parents and agencies.
• Referrals to qualified therapists.

American Academy of Pediatrics-Indiana Chapter

The Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (“INAAP”) is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focusing on issues related to the health and well-being of all Hoosier children. With over 900 pediatrician and nurse practitioner members throughout the state, INAAP strives to be the go-to resource for questions related to children’s health, as well as for issues related to the practice of pediatrics.

B.A.B.E & More

Offered to low-income families in Elkhart, Marshall and Saint Joseph Counties, the BABE Store provides basic supplies, such as diapers or clothes, in exchange for coupons participants earned from doctor visits or child development classes.

B.A.B.E. Store (South Bend) Facebook Page
Check here for events, updates, and additional resources from the South Bend B.A.B.E

Beacon Community Impact

Beacon Community Impact works with community partners to collaborate on health related issues. For maternal and infant health, they focus on programming to reduce the infant mortality, as well as to improve health for mothers and infants.

Brain Train

Brain Train has activities designed to meet the needs of families with children from infant through the age of five. For anyone who has a child under 5 years old and who is not already enrolled in Community Partners, DCS, or Healthy Families.

Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Brighter Futures Indiana

Brighter Futures Indiana offers information to empower families in their search for the highest quality learning experiences for their children in partnership with The FSSA Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning and Early Learning Indiana.

Build Learn Grow

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration recently announced the Build, Learn, Grow initiative, which is making 50,000 scholarships available to help connect Hoosier children from working families to high-quality early education and out-of-school-time programs. The scholarships will be funded by more than $101 million provided to Indiana by the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, or CRRSA.

Through the Build, Learn, Grow scholarship fund, Hoosier families working in essential industries with qualifying incomes can receive scholarships for each child age 12 and younger toward their early care and education, summer learning or out-of-school care. Scholarships run from May through October 2021 and will cover 80% of the early care and education program’s tuition.

Christ Child Society

The generosity of the people in our community allows The Christ Child Society of South Bend to carry on its 73-year mission of helping children. Each year, CCS clothes thousands of children from birth through age twelve at their Clothing Center. A referral form is required in order to receive clothes.

Community Coordinated Childcare

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, daycare homes, and adult day care centers. 4Cs provides reimbursements for meals served to children and youth participating in after school care programs, children residing in emergency shelters, and adults over the age of 60 or living with a disability and enrolled in daycare facilities. 4Cs contributes to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children and adults in the United States.

Count the Kicks

Count The Kicks was created based on public health research in Norway that demonstrated a 30% reduction in stillbirth by teaching pregnant women how to monitor fetal movement during the third trimester of pregnancy by doing kick counts on a daily basis.

Counting kicks is a simple way to monitor your baby’s well-being using a free app. Expectant parents should begin counting at the start of the third trimester.

Early Ed Connect

Apply online for On My Way Pre-K and other child care assistance in Indiana.

Early Childhood Alliance

Early Childhood Alliance is a non-profit organization serving the early education needs of children across northern Indiana. Our services include: on-site early care and education in two accredited learning centers; sponsorship of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a program of the Department of Education; a wide range of Family Support programs; and early childhood education advocacy through our work with businesses and other service agencies in communities of northern Indiana. 

East Coast Migrant Head Start Project

East Coast Migrant Head Start Project provides services to families who work in the production and harvesting of tree and field crops, nursery crops, eggs and poultry, fish and other seafood, trees and the care of farm animals.

 East Coast Migrant Head Start Project provides Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Early Head Start services. The programs help prepare children for school success. They support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from six weeks old to kindergarten. They offer:

• Educational Services
• Family Services
• Disability Services
• Health & Dental Care
• Balanced Meals
• Play and Learning Experiences

Contact: 1-844-304-2964
*There is no cost for families who qualify

Family Nurse Partnership

With the partnership of Goodwill Central & Southern, Goodwill Northwest, Healthier Moms & Babies and IU Health NFP helps to address the risks of poverty, preterm births, other poor maternal and child health outcomes, high school dropout rates, domestic violence and child maltreatment for first-time moms and their babies.

Hannah’s House

Hannah’s House is a faith-based agency offering a continuum of shelter, staff support and programming for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of pregnant and parenting single/homeless young women.

Head Start

Head Start is a school readiness program that provides children ages 0-5 from low income families in St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties with the skills they need to succeed in kindergarten. Their staff are trained to honor the parents’ role as their child’s most important teacher.

Healthy Families

Healthy Families helps parents of newborn babies or expectant parents by offering support and information about child development and what to expect as a new parent.

La Leche League of South Bend

We are taking this situation seriously and want to still be able to help mothers with breastfeeding questions. If you have any breastfeeding concerns or questions, you can still contact us via phone, email, or Facebook. We are always happy to help families work through difficult, joyful, and strange moments of the journey!

• La Leche League of South Bend Facebook page
• lllofsouthbend@gmail.com
• 574-334-7624

Breast milk is still the best food for your babies, and La Leche has provided guidance for breastfeeding through illness:

• Continuing to Nurse Your Baby Through Coronavirus
• Breastfeeding and Coronavirus
• A statement from the UN about breastfeeding and pregnancy and the corona virus can be found here.

Lead Safe South Bend

The St. Joseph County Health Department conducts free lead risk assessments in homes with children under the age of 7, homes where pregnant women reside, or homes where a lead-poisoned child has already been identified. To schedule a lead risk assessment or to get more information about lead poisoning, contact the Health Department at (574) 235-9582.

Children 6 and under who live in St. Joseph county can receive free lead testing from the South Bend Medical Foundation. Contact the St. Joseph County Health Department at (574) 245-6755 for more information.

Mahogany Maternity

Birth and Postpartum Doula services, Childbirth Education and Breastfeeding Support.

On Your Feet Foundation

On Your Feet is not an adoption agency, but rather a partner for birthparents and agencies that supports all their needs. The emotional, financial and educational resources you need for post-placement success can all be found through On Your Feet.

The primary resources offered by On Your Feet include:

• A supportive community of birthparents.
• Financial, educational and career coaching for birthparents.
• Supportive retreats for birthparents and adoptive parents.
• Discussion facilitation between birthparents, adoptive parents and agencies.
• Referrals to qualified therapists.

Paths to Quality

Paths to QUALITY™ is Indiana’s statewide rating system for early care and education programs. It is a free resource to help families make informed decisions and to help early care and education providers improve the quality of their programs.

Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program

The Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program is still recruiting pregnant women to participate in our program. We have had almost 45 women participate so far and we would like to involve another 75 women before the program ends in 2-3 years.

They offer a 5-week support group (online or in-person) for women who are under 30 weeks pregnant and who have also experienced some form of conflict (emotional/physical/sexual) with a partner in the past 12 months (this includes past as well as present partners). We also ask that the women participate in 4 individual meetings (2 prenatal and 2 postpartum).

During their time in our program, women can earn up to $250 for participating in the groups and the individual meetings plus up to 16 BABE Coupons and 5 ‘baby gifts’.

If you know of anyone who would be eligible to participate, please pass along our flyer (attached below). They can also text or call me directly at: 574-383-9402.

Becki Fulmer, MA
PMEP Program Coordinator
BRAVE Psychology Lab
University of Notre Dame
574-631-0958

Real Services Family Development

By participating in the Family Development program, families are equipped with access to the following resources:

• Referrals for assistance
• Career and job-seeking guidance
• Vocation training
• Finance and budgeting lessons
• Complete basic education
• Housing and home ownership guidance
• Childcare resources
• Nutrition information
• Home care and management training
• Parenting skills sessions
• Time management skills courses
• Confidence training

More information:
Phone: 574-284-2060

RETA

RETA (Reason to Act) is a faith-based, pregnancy clinic and family resource center located in downtown Elkhart, Indiana. Established in 1985, we provide free, confidential help by appointment, Monday through Friday. Although based in Elkhart, you do not need to live in the city to qualify for most services.

• 300 West High Street
  Elkhart, IN 46516

• Office: 574-522-4357 (HELP)
• 1-800-712-4357 (HELP) Nights & Weekends

• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.,
• Tuesday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Fax: 574-293-5368

A Rosie Place

A Rosie Place for Children is Indiana‘s only licensed, not-for-profit, specialty hospital dedicated exclusively to serving the growing number of families with children who are medically fragile.

St. Margaret’s House

Day center for women and children. Offer employment assistance, educational services, and physical and mental health services.

574-234-7795

School Age Mothers Program (SAMP)

To enroll in SAMP, a student must be registered at a South Bend Community School Corporation school and be referred to the program by their home school.

Talk With Your Baby

Talking with your baby from birth is important for getting your baby off to the best start – for school and for life. Learn about how you can help your baby just by talking! Our 8-session Talk With Your Baby (TWYB) program is designed for parents, parents-to-be, grandparents, and caregivers of children birth to age three of all backgrounds and income levels. Due to generous support from various agencies, we are able to offer our classes free of charge.

Tech Crossing

Tech Crossing is a newly developed program in conjunction with The Brain Train. This program helps educate our community preschoolers and their families in computer literacy and technology skills to ensure they are prepared for kindergarten. Tech Crossing is for low-income families with children ages 3-5 that reside in St. Joseph County. Anyone in the St. Joseph County area with a child 3-5 years old.

What can families expect?

• Ensure your child is well prepared for kindergarten
• Develop proficiency in early literacy skills
• Support parents in their role as their child’s first teacher
• Engage parents with tools to improve learning, development and school readiness at home​

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women and to infants and children who are found to be at nutritional risk.
Call 574-647-2100 or 574-647-2175.

Youth Services Bureau Young Moms Self Sufficiency Program

The Young Moms’ Self-Sufficiency Program (YMSSP) provides opportunities for young mothers to overcome the many, complex barriers to self-sufficiency and decrease the possibility of abuse and neglect. It helps women to identify realistic academic and employment goals, improve the health and nutrition of family members, increase a personal sense of competence and well-being, and foster a healthy relationship between both parents and children.

Call the YMSSP office at 574.235.9231 to enroll in the program.

YWCA

Help clients dealing with domestic violence. Offers parenting classes, addiction treatment, inpatient & outpatient counseling.