ORLANDO, Fla. -- Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the Children’s Home Society of Florida has continued its work to match children with parents. They’ve even exceeded their adoption goal for the year.   

What You Need To Know

  • Fosters and adoptions happening in record numbers despite pandemic

  • A lot of the process is now happening virtually

  • Children's Home Society of Florida has matched 157 kids this year with families

After always wanting to foster a child, Amanda and her husband David became foster parents to a 2-year-old boy.

Soon after, they became foster parents to his newly born biological brother.   

“We love the boys to death. We cannot imagine life without them,” Amanda said. 

Their love for the boys grew quickly, and Amanda started working toward adoption.   

“We were excited for permanency, absolutely,” Amanda explained. 

But during a pandemic, it didn’t look like the fairy tale Amanda envisioned.  

“We were dreaming of the court date. All our friends and family were going be at court. It was going to be a cheesy, beautiful rejoicing ceremony,” Amanda said. 

The adoption went through in mid-June. There was no celebration at the court house, but the day was no less special.   

“This is final. It’s amazing. We all share the same last name,” Amanda said. 

They’re not alone. Many families around Central Florida are having to navigate the fostering and adoption process during a pandemic. Like many things, much of it now takes place on the internet.   

“Everything has become virtual. They had to participate in the training online. They do like a Zoom meeting with the trainers. They also had to complete all of the paper work online,” said Yolanda Demont, the adoption program director for Children’s Home Society of Florida.  

She says the social interaction between potential parent and child is more of a challenge too — trying to stay safe through social distancing.      

Despite the obstacles, Demont and her team members beat their goal for the number of Central Florida adoptions this year, finding loving homes for 157 children. 

“A lot of families are saying they want to adopt,” Demont said. 

Amanda was one of those families, and now she says she couldn’t be happier.  

“Being a parent is clearly the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Amanda shared. 

Children’s Home Society of Florida says it helps finalize an average of 600 adoptions a year throughout Florida.