Get ready for adoption at our waiting family pool parties.

Come mingle with your adoption community as OA&FS counselors guide you through small group activities that will build your adoption I.Q.

Waiting family Pool Parties are a ready-made way for prospective adoptive families to:

  • Get support from, and offer support to, others who are on the same journey.
  • Learn more about adoption-related topics that will better impact your adoption experience.
  • Feel more equipped to build a healthy open adoption relationship, with more tools and deeper understanding of other perspectives.
  • Have access to counselors to ask questions about your circumstances, agency services, trends or to get support. 
  • Form genuine friendships with other adoptive families and begin building your personal adoption community.

Here’s what you need to know.

  • Pool Parties will be held remotely via ZOOM.
  • Waiting family Pool Parties are social/education events for current OA&FS prospective adoptive parents who have not yet adopted. Families in the homestudy process and in the OA&FS Waiting Family Pool are welcome to attend.
  • We rotate through a schedule of topics (see calendar below). (see calendar below).
  • There will be two remote Pool Parties held per month (exceptions will be announced), each with the same topic. Feel free to attend either.
  • You’ll receive a monthly email reminder. The monthly Adoptive Parent Bulletin will also include information about upcoming Pool Parties.

DATES & TIMES:

  • Pool Parties will be held:
  • Remote Pool Party 1: Third Thursday of each month.
  • Remote Pool Party 2: Fourth Tuesday of each month.
  • Pool Parties are held from 6:30-8:00 pm.

HOW TO RSVP:

  • The Pool Party invite will have an RSVP link that will direct you to a Zoom Meeting registration form.

Pool Party schedule.

Month

Topic
October 2023**
Unfiltering Adoption: When We Understand Others’ Perspectives, We Can Serve Adoptees Better. Guest Speakers: Sara Easterly, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, and Lori Holden. Please note due to guest speakers there will only be one pool party in October.
November 2023
Navigating Screening Emails
December 19, 2023**
Infant Care for Adoptive Parents. Please note there is only pool party in December and the date is different than the normal schedule.
January 2024
When Your Child’s Birth Parents Struggle with Mental Illness or Substance Use
February 2024
Meeting Your Child’s Needs: Post Adoption Resources
March 2024*
Adoptee Voices *Please note there will only be one pool party this month on March 26.
April 2024
Birth Parent Perspectives
May 2023*
Transracial Adoption: Guest Speakers: Astrid Castro. Please note due to guest speakers there will only be one pool party in May.