TUESDAY TIP: Persist

So many of my adoptive families tell me that in the end they got the right child for them. Sometimes this pathway to parenting seems circuitous, but hang in. Persist. We believe at A Baby Step Adoption it will work out.

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Did you know that Saint Patrick is often referred to as the Adopted Irish Man? It's true, the patron saint of Ireland was actually born in Great Britain! A Baby Step Adoption wishes all of our families love and luck on this Saint Patrick's Day!
Cheers!

Heartbreak, hope and healing: Birth mother tells her adoption story ...

Read here !

         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!

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

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."

Help Save the Adoption Tax Credit!

We need your help! The federal adoption tax credit is in jeopardy. The current credit expires at the end of this year. The adoption tax credit has made adoption a more viable option for many parents who might not otherwise have been able to afford adoption, allowing them to provide children with loving, permanent families. If the adoption tax credit has helped you to adopt a child, or children, or if it could help in the future to do so, call your Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives today and urge that he or she cosponsor H.R. 4373, the Making Adoption Affordable Act.

You can reach your Representative by calling the U.S. Capitol Operator at 202-225-3121 and asking for your Representative's office, then ask to speak to the Legislative Assistant who works on taxes or on adoption issues. If you don't know your Representative's name go to http://www.house.gov/ and enter your zip code in the box provided in the upper right corner.

When speaking with your representative make sure to mention that you are constituent. Urge your Representative to cosponsor The Making Adoption Affordable Act, H.R. 4373, introduced by Rep. Braley with bipartisan support. H.R. 4373 makes the adoption tax credit permanent; refundable; inclusive, by applying to domestic private, foster care, and international adoptions; and, available at the maximum amount for adopting a special needs child.

Please help us make the adoption tax credit permanent and to help make adoption affordable for all who build loving families through adoption. Make your voice heard and please contact your representative today!