The Oxygen Channel and On Demand (Comcast) are featuring a heart wrenching episode of "I'm Having Their Baby," titled "Megan & Renee." The episode features A Baby Step Adoption and gives a realistic picture of the birth families and adoptive families range of emotions and struggles during an adoption placement decision. You can watch the show on the Oxygen Channel (check your local TV directory for times) and On Demand. We would love and appreciate your feedback!
We want to thank our birth family and our adopting family for opening up their lives at this difficult time. We hope that others gain from their experience.
Congratulations to Maggie and the staff of A Baby Step Adoption Agency for the wonderful work on making the twins adoption so successful. Also, another Congratulations to Abigail and Jace for their new, beautiful family!
"Bringing families together, one step at a time."
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Our agency is so excited by this news! Adoption DOES break the cycle of violence and poverty, which are the two major factors that put babies at risk.
Study Results: The "Crack" Kids are All Right!
The findings of an exciting study conducted over a quarter century right here in Philadelphia came to the surprising above conclusion!
The years of tracking "addicted babies" led to an unexpected conclusion. Neonatologist, Dr. Hurt found, "Poverty is a more powerful influence on the outcome of inner city children than gestational exposure to cocaine." Other researchers have also found cocaine exposure doesn't seem to effect overall cognition and school performance.
You can read the report of the long term study through this link...
http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-21/news/40709969_1_hallam-hurt-so-called-crack-babies-funded-study
Study Results: The "Crack" Kids are All Right!
The findings of an exciting study conducted over a quarter century right here in Philadelphia came to the surprising above conclusion!
The years of tracking "addicted babies" led to an unexpected conclusion. Neonatologist, Dr. Hurt found, "Poverty is a more powerful influence on the outcome of inner city children than gestational exposure to cocaine." Other researchers have also found cocaine exposure doesn't seem to effect overall cognition and school performance.
You can read the report of the long term study through this link...
http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-21/news/40709969_1_hallam-hurt-so-called-crack-babies-funded-study
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Tips for Claiming the Adoption Tax Credit for a Failed Adoption
By now, most of you know about the permanent adoption tax credit for each successful adoption attempt and for each adopted child. The full credit is now $12,970. The credit phases out for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income over $234,580. You can carry the credit forward for up to five years.
There is still confusion about failed adoption attempts. Yes, each failed/disrupted attempts QUALIFIES for the credit. Each client will need specific receipts that show that the adoption expenses came out of his/her account - not someone else's. You will need back up documentation from your agency or attorney.
Mark T. McDermott, a D.C. adoption attorney raises some interesting points about the claiming of a tax credit for failed adoptions. He writes..
"When to claim is a separate issue. In a failed adoption, of course, there is no finalization. My position is that the equivalent of finalization is when the adoption fails, so you can take the credit in that year. If you follow the IRS instructions to the letter, you claim the year after the expenses were incurred. If you do this, you can adjust your withholding to get immediate use of the money.
IRS instructions also state that, if you take a credit for a failed adoption, and later adopt successfully, you have to offset the credit. But nothing in the statutes or in legislative history supports this. Each adoption or failed adoption involves a different child, so you can take a separate credit for each. Every time my clients have fought the IRS on this matter, they've won."
By now, most of you know about the permanent adoption tax credit for each successful adoption attempt and for each adopted child. The full credit is now $12,970. The credit phases out for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income over $234,580. You can carry the credit forward for up to five years.
There is still confusion about failed adoption attempts. Yes, each failed/disrupted attempts QUALIFIES for the credit. Each client will need specific receipts that show that the adoption expenses came out of his/her account - not someone else's. You will need back up documentation from your agency or attorney.
Mark T. McDermott, a D.C. adoption attorney raises some interesting points about the claiming of a tax credit for failed adoptions. He writes..
"When to claim is a separate issue. In a failed adoption, of course, there is no finalization. My position is that the equivalent of finalization is when the adoption fails, so you can take the credit in that year. If you follow the IRS instructions to the letter, you claim the year after the expenses were incurred. If you do this, you can adjust your withholding to get immediate use of the money.
IRS instructions also state that, if you take a credit for a failed adoption, and later adopt successfully, you have to offset the credit. But nothing in the statutes or in legislative history supports this. Each adoption or failed adoption involves a different child, so you can take a separate credit for each. Every time my clients have fought the IRS on this matter, they've won."
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