Adoption and the Schools: A Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers By Lansing Wood and Nancy Ng
FAIR, PO Box 51436, Palo Alto CA 94303

As Simple As That
An organization and web site devoted to educating and entertaining preschool children and their parents. “As Simple As That” fosters self esteem in children and teaches them to accept, respect, and celebrate all cultures, choices and abilities.

Attach-China
Web site devoted to educating parents of children adopted from China and other countries about Reactive Attachment Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Center for Adoption Support and Education, Inc. (C.A.S.E.)
Manuals and tips for working with schools

Institute for Adoption Information
Another guidebook on working with teachers on adoption

Nancy Thomas’ Parenting By Design webpage includes on attachment disorder

Parent Network for the Post-Institutionalized Child
A support network devoted to understanding the medical, developmental, emotional and educational needs of children adopted from hospital, orphanages and institutions throughout the world

Adopt Vietnam

Families with Children from Vietnam

Adopting from Korea — and afterwards

Chinese Growth Charts

“Health of Children Adopted from China”
by Laurie C. Miller, MD and Nancy W. Hendrie, MD; Pediatrics Vol. 105 No. 6 June 2000, p. e76

Medical and Health Information
Includes Chinese growth charts and information on immunizations, medical items to take, tests to have on return

Orphandoctor.com
Web site of Dr. Jane Aronson, who specializes in the medical care of children adopted internationally.

Asia Threads.
A service that identifies select Chinese orphanages/provinces, and based on adoption paperwork that is publicly available, provides photographs of Chinese adopted children’s abandonment sites and surrounding areas.

China Centre of Adoption Affairs

Families with Children from China
Travel tips, info on medical issues, updates from the Chinese Centre for Adoption Affairs, etc.

Research-China
Finding ads, orphanage city photos, DVDs, maps

MyChinaDocs
China visa document service

a-parents-china (APC): a discussion list for those who are in the process of adopting from China

aok-china: a discussion list for those who are adopting or who have adopted older children from China

post-adopt-china (PAC): a discussion list for those who already have adopted from China

PACT Asian Identity Articles

U.S. Department of State Web site

U.S. Dept. of State International Adoptions Web Site

U.S. Dept. of State International Adoption Information

Information on passport applications

Documentation of citizenship protects foreign-born children in several ways.

If the child’s parents die without securing citizenship, the child could face significant challenges in applying for benefits (Social Security), government grants or assistance (think student loans and other financial aid).

Documents can be lost through theft, fire or other events. Without citizenship, replacing those documents can be very difficult, and in some cases impossible.

There is no good reason to avoid citizenship, except for the long wait at the Immigration office.

Documentation. Obtaining citizenship documentation requires numerous documents for both parents and children. Any of these documents can be lost or misplaced, making a citizenship application more difficult down the road. The best advice is to take care of this early, and to make sure you have copies of all-important documents in one or more secure locations. It is always a good idea to make and keep copies of all documents, including passport numbers, as well as the A#, a nine-digit Alien number on your original adoption papers.

Passports. Passports are cheaper than citizenship, but they are temporary options that expire in five to ten years and can be lost or stolen. They are essential to have if you plan to leave the U.S. with your child, or if your child will travel abroad without you. Citizenship is the only secure way to protect rights for life, and to facilitate passport replacement should the need arise. Please note, a passport must be renewed where a certificate of citizenship is a permanent document. Passport applications require original documents. With the recent changes in U.S. Passport requirements for all U.S. citizens travelling outside the U.S., apply early, and allow extra time for processing. For the latest passport information from the U.S. Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Social Security Cards and Birth Certificates. Obtaining a US birth certificate may simplify some transactions, but is generally seen as optional in the bigger picture. Social security numbers are issued automatically for foreign-adopted children, although in some cases the SS card features the child’s original name. Once a new name is chosen, the card can be updated. Please Note: Social security numbers and birth certificates (even those issued in the US) are not proof of citizenship!