In This Issue...
- Waiting Child Program
- Welcome Home!
- Hopscotch Reunion
- Program Spotlight - Guyana!
- Before You Go - Travel Tips!
Quick Links
Still waiting....
The Waiting Child Program is the fastest growing program that Hopscotch Adoptions offers. Unlike the typical track, time to placement usually takes less than a year from dossier submission. Most of these children are Special Needs or older. We strongly urge you to check out these kids, regardless of the path you are taking. You never know who will grab your heart.
For more information on this program, contact Natasha or go to the Waiting Child page and fill out the Privacy Declaration at the bottom of the page.
Welcome Home!
***Armenia Program News***
US Citizens are no longer required to obtain a visa for entry to Armenia! Hopscotch Adoptions' Armenian Travel Guide has been updated to reflect this change. If you have been notified of impending travel prior to April 30, be sure to ask for the updated guide.
Who is excited for a Hopscotch Reunion???
When: August 5-7, 2015
Where: Riverhead, New York
Who can attend: ALL Hopscotch families
Accomodations:
Hyatt Place East End (Primary Hotel)
Hilton Garden Inn
**Hyatt and Hilton Hotels have each reserved a block of 40 rooms at a rate of $189.00 for August 5-6 and $325 for August 7th.
Please book your room NOW to lock in that rate!
Tentative Schedule:
August 5, 2015
Morning: Breakfast together at the hotel
Day: Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center *group rate will be applied
Night: Dinner together
August 6, 2015
Morning: Breakfast together at the hotel
Day: Beach Day!!
Evening: Clambake and Barbecue Picnic
August 7, 2015
Morning: Breakfast together at the hotel
Day: Your choice! Your family can participate in the many activities that Riverhead offers!
Program Spotlight!
Guyana
Hopscotch's Executive Director, Robin Sizemore, traveled to Guyana in October 2014 where she met with Guyanese officials, US Embassy staff, orphanages and attorneys. She had a very positive experience and is very excited about this new program.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Married or Single Women Applicants
- Applicants Age: 25-65 years old
- Trips: 2 trips are required (1st trip: 5-7 days; 2nd trip: 3 weeks)
Children available for adoption are usually between 12 months and 15 years old. There are children that are generally healthy in relation to institutional care. There are also children with minor to non-correctable special needs available for adoption.
If you are interested in learning more about our Guyana program, please contact Natasha Beavers.
Before You Go...
Always consult with your primary doctor well before making a trip abroad and reference the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for any specific precautions for the destination you'll be traveling too. Your doctor will make sure you have all of the appropriate vaccinations and medications relevant to your trip and length of time you'll be away.
Be sure to always keep your medications in the prescription bottle at all times during travel and always keep your medications in your travel carry-on. Sometimes your doctor and your insurance company will allow extra dosages based on your trip length, but ask in advance or during your travel medical appointment. Keep your personal doctor's contact information, medication lists or letter from your doctor if you need any special accommodations and insurance information in your carry-on luggage.
Some families utilize the services of an International Medical Travel clinic, but most likely your doctor and the CDC can cover your needs. You'll want to also check the Visa page for your country destination to be sure you're not caught without proper documentation if required for entry. You can find the correlating embassy by visiting the country page on the Department of State's Intercountry Adoption website.
If you or your child will have any specific medical needs or mobility issues, it's good to communicate with your airline in advance of ticket purchase to be sure you can be accommodated safely. Some airlines have restrictions on the level of medical fragility they will permit to board. It's best to check and get it in writing between your doctor and the airline if possible. Know your passenger rights on inter country flights as well as domestic flights.
Don't forget travel insurance! Travel insurance, health and life policies. Are they up to date? Another level of security is your home owners policy. Be sure to check the policy, because in many cases if you have anything broken or destroyed while traveling, your home owners insurance may cover the loss. If you have a medical emergency, be sure you call your provider to get authorization in advance. Call your insurance provider before you leave to be sure you understand the limits of your coverage.
Before a family travels abroad to bring their child home, they have usually had a consult with an International Medical Adoption Specialist that assists families in evaluating the child's health and needs. This doctor will already be familiar with your child's specific needs and may be able to make recommendations for specific medications or care your child may need while abroad or during travel. Evaluations and consultations can be from $250-$850 and offer an array of amenities that can fit every family's needs or budget. Look for the doctor that can review your child's information ongoing as you get updates, that will make specific requests for screenings, tests etc to help you better understand your child's developmental progress while waiting, and of course, be available during and after you return home to see your child's medical and developmental goals are being met. Some clinics will even Skype with you during your child's medical evaluation while abroad. The clinics can be a wealth of resources and are worth every penny.
While you are in country, you can also avail yourself of the embassy panel physician. You can find the list of embassy approved physicians on the US embassy website for the country you are in. Again, check with your insurance provider to be sure your visit is covered for reimbursement when you return home. Save all of your receipts, prescriptions and notes. Your regular doctor will want to follow up on the treatment.
And of course, always check for travel warnings for the countries you would be traveling or transiting through. You'll want to be sure to register with the US embassy for emergency events, evacuations or terror threats.
We always value our families' feedback. Please tell us what you want in the next newsletter! We would love for our families to share their adoption stories! Please contact Michelle Moreau with any feedback or if you would like to write an article for a future newsletter.
The Waiting Child Program is the fastest growing program that Hopscotch Adoptions offers. Unlike the typical track, time to placement usually takes less than a year from dossier submission. Most of these children are Special Needs or older. We strongly urge you to check out these kids, regardless of the path you are taking. You never know who will grab your heart. 
Education is one of the most valuable aspects of your adoption journey. To quote the public service announcements of the 80's, "The more you know..." Creating a Family and Hopscotch Adoptions, Inc. have collaborated to allow our families access to a wealth of information through podcasts. 
On August 16, 2013 we drove to Roman, Bulgaria to pick up our sweet daughter. She was 12 years old at the time, soon to turn 13. We were adopting a teenager! We were not sure what to expect, except we had been told to not have any expectations of her whatsoever, just accept her as she was. Of course, as in many things, this was easier said than done. We were prepared for teenage things, and we had read all the assigned books and taken the required pre-adoption class credits. But truly, we weren't very well prepared at all. Perhaps it was because this was our first child. Maybe adoptive parents that already have other children in the home feel the transition goes more smoothly. For us, it was a rocky first month or so. 
at we didn't live next to celebrities. She said our house was small ... but beautiful, she quickly added. And that is as it should be, because our sweet girl is also small but beautiful. And she wishes we had other kids for her to play with, and was sad that our family is small ("we are only three" she says). But she says we are crazy ... and beautiful. She has a wonderful sense of humor. Everything is crazy to her. That's her word for silly, I think. So that has pretty much defined our life over the past four months. Crazy beautiful. Abigail loves to take photographs. I think we have more photographic documentation of the last four months of our life than the last four years since Tony and I got married. You really have to be "on" because you never know when the camera is pointing your way! 
The things we've learned so far: A sleepy child cannot communicate
