This booklet covers expenses common to most adoptions, expenses unique to the various types of adoption, financial assistance for adoption and post-adoption expenses, and tax breaks available to
adoptive parents.

Data can be an incredibly powerful tool for child welfare advocates, policymakers, and program administrators in their work to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families. From identifying target population characteristics and needs, to documenting program or service outcomes, to assessing a policy’s effect, using data to inform efforts to help children and families thrive is critical. Data can play an invaluable role in helping to highlight the need for a program, service, or policy, or to communicate about how a particular population is faring. They provide objective evidence to “make the case.”

The New Jersey Council for Young Children was established in January 2010 to ensure
collaboration and coordination among early childhood programs in the State of New Jersey.
The Birth-to-Eight Early Learning and Development Standards Committee of the Council
has responsibility for the development of a coherent set of early learning and development
and program standards that address all areas of development for ages birth through eight
that will lead to positive outcomes for infants, young children and their families.

Several common school assignments can make foster and adoptive children feel left out, uncomfortable,
sad, and hurt. Projects like the ‘Family Tree’, ‘Bring-a-Baby Picture’ and ‘Trace Your Genetic Traits’ can
be particularly difficult for students adopted at older ages; however, children adopted as infants and
those living in foster care may also lack the information for some family-based assignments.

Written by Legal Services of New Jersey .

Is the child of a relative or close friend living in your home? Has the child been living with you for more than the last 12 months? Is this arrangement likely to continue? Do the parents have serious problems that prevent them from caring for their child? Are you
willing to raise the child to adulthood?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, then you may want to become the child’s kinship legal guardian. The Kinship Legal Guardianship law allows you — the caregiver — to become the child’s legal guardian. That means you act, in almost every way, like the child’s parent.
This manual describes what a kinship legal guardian is and the governing law. It also explains the process you follow to become a kinship legal guardian and some financial supports that may be available to you together with the eligibility requirements. It is important that you learn about all your options and consider the effect of a kinship subsidy on any benefits that you presently receive before making your final decision.

The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, (DCP&P), formerly the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) has placed a child in your home. You may be related to the child, a close friend of the family or perhaps the child is unrelated, but has been in your home for a long time. Your DCP&P case manager has explained that it is unlikely the child will return to his parents. DCP&P is asking you to make a permanent commitment to raise this child. You have lots of questions. What are your options? What financial supports will be available to  you?
It is important for you to understand the different permanency options available to you and the child in your home. You should learn about all the options, the financial supports available with each, and how those supports may affect other benefits you receive before making your final decision.
This guide gives you an overview of one permanency option — kinship legal guardianship (KLG) as a first step toward making this all-important decision. It also provides information about adoption supports..