Next Hosting Session will be in Summer 2025!
Madison’s Hosting program is open to families that reside in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. A full home study is required to be able to host.
If you would like to learn more about hosting from a Latin America or Asian country, please complete our no-commitment PAP form at MAA Prospective Adoptive Parents – Waiting Child Review Form and one of our staff will reach out to you.
Bring the mission to your home!
There are over 150 million orphaned children worldwide with thousands of children becoming orphans each day. Once a child turns 5, they have only a 5% chance of being adopted, leaving many children without a family. Our hosting program has been created to address the needs of these orphaned children. Many people go on mission trips to other parts of the world, but we ask you to consider staying home this summer to bring the mission to your family. This experience will change the life of an orphan forever, as well as the lives of you and your children!
In this program, MAA will bring select children from various countries in which we have adoption programs, who are legally available for international adoption, to the United States for an approximate stay of two to four weeks with a qualified family. We are thrilled to provide both the children and loving families like yours, with an experience you will never forget! The hosting program is open to families that live in Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah.
Madison Adoption Associates is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization formed for the sole purpose of bringing hope, love, and a permanent family to children in need.
ORPHAN HOSTING
A hosting program is a strategy used to identify possible permanent families for older children who have been cleared for inter-country adoption and are patiently waiting for their adoptive placement. These children will be able to experience family life and be exposed to a more stimulating environment than in the institutions where they currently live. However, it is not just the children who will benefit, but you and your entire family. The hosting experience will affect you in many ways – dispel any fears about adopting an older child, teach your children a valuable lesson in compassion, expose your friends and family to the orphan crisis, and give you the opportunity to have an integral role in orphan advocacy.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The hosting program offers both an educational, as well as a culturally rich experience for you and your family. Your family will provide a loving and nurturing environment exposing the child(ren) to family life. After the designated time, all children return to the orphanage with a rewarding educational experience. For most of these children, it will be first time that they have experienced what it feels like to be a part of a family.
The main goal of this program is ultimately to improve the health, education, and general welfare of orphaned children in our programs. These children have often been raised in institutions and have little experience with a family or with the benefits of life in the United States.
Most children in orphanages were born to poor families or single mothers, or they have been abandoned or were removed from birth parents due to neglect or abuse. All children are influenced by life in an institution. They will have developmental delays that may affect their speech, motor skills, cognitive functioning, and physical growth. Children may also exhibit institutional behavior such as rocking or other self-stimulating activities. Madison recommends families to take every precaution in their family to ensure not only the safety of the host child, but of all household members. We will help you prepare!
In general, the children who participate in the hosting program have a good prognosis for a healthy future if provided with the love, support, and treatment they need to overcome the challenges they face prior to adoption. Even if your participation in the Hosting Program does not lead to your adoption of the child you are hosting, you may be allowing the child to begin his journey to a permanent family, as he will have the opportunity to meet many people and potential families during his stay in the United States.
Host families will be encouraged to attend weekly events where all of the children and families spend time together. Families should also expect the chaperones to stay in their home for several nights during the hosting session. This allows us to evaluate how you and the child are doing and help you work through any issues or problem areas.
If you have questions regarding hosting requirements, training, costs, or other details, please contact Misty Lucas at Misty@MadisonAdoption.org.
SUPPORT DURING THE PROCESS
Madison Adoption Associates has experienced hosting coordinators, social workers, translators, and previous host families who will be available to your family throughout the entire hosting time. When questions come up – and they will – we will be accessible to you to help you consider the options, work through possible solutions, and find the best answer for your family and for the child.
Here at Madison Adoption Associates, we pride ourselves on keeping our hosting programs tight-knit and connected to the local community. We purposefully place our children geographically close to one another so that the families and children do not feel isolated. Not only will you have the support of MAA staff, but you will also have the comfort of other current host families nearby, as well as the chaperones who know the children well. We plan group events during the hosting session to promote the importance of community. And we also encourage you to get together with your fellow host families!
During the hosting process it will be very important for children and host families to feel connected. Our staff will utilize technology and other avenues to keep us all connected as we enjoy a sense of community.
The following individuals are your first point of contact in the event of any problems:
| Contact / State | Office | Cellular | |
| Misty Lucas (IL/MO/UT) Latin America Programs Director |
(217) 498-9700 | (618) 214-5915 | Misty@MadisonAdoption.org |
| Diana DeGroot (NJ/PA) Executive Director |
(302) 475-8977 | (302) 290-0385 | Diana@MadisonAdoption.org |
