EDUCATION CENTER

Education is an important part of Rhode to Adoption’s mission. By sharing knowledge and resources about adoption, we help create understanding, respect, and support for everyone touched by adoption. Our Educational Center is designed to provide thoughtful information for families, professionals, and the community.

Children's Resources and Books

• Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born – Jamie Lee Curtis

• A Mother for Choco – Keiko Kasza

• We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families – Todd Parr

• The Mulberry Bird – Anne Braff Brodzinsky

• God Found Us You – Lisa Tawn Bergren

• I Wished for You: An Adoption Story – Marianne Richmond

• And Tango Makes Three – Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

• Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale – Karen Katz

• Adoption Is Both – Elena S. Hall

• The Day We Met You – Phoebe Koehler

Adult Resources and Books

• The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family – Karyn B. Purvis, David R. Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine

• The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adopted Child – Nancy Newton Verrier

• The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole – Lori Holden and Crystal Hass

• Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew – Sherrie Eldridge

• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind – Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

• All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir – Nicole Chung

• Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents – Deborah D. Gray

• What White Parents Should Know about Transracial Adoption – Melissa Guida-Richards

• The Girls Who Went Away – Ann Fessler

• The Adoption Paradox – Jean Kelly Widner

Adult Resources

This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors.

North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) nacac.org
Child Welfare Information Gateway (CWIG) childwelfare.gov
Adoption Network adoptionnetwork.com
Books: ‘The Primal Wound’ by Nancy Verrier, ‘Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish their Adoptive Parents Knew’ by Sherrie Eldridge, ‘What do I Say Now? Answers for Awkward Questions and Comments about Adoption’ by Carol Bick and M.C. Baker

Trusted Adoption Websites

• Child Welfare Information Gateway (childwelfare.gov) – The official U.S. government resource for adoption laws and statistics.

• National Council for Adoption (adoptioncouncil.org) – Leading advocacy and education research site.

• Creating a Family (creatingafamily.org) – Excellent for training, podcasts, and evidence-based resources.

• Adoption.com (adoption.com) – One of the largest online communities and information hubs.

and policy improvement.

• Adoptive Families (adoptivefamilies.com) – A long-standing digital magazine and resource site for families.

• C.A.S.E. (Center for Adoption Support and Education) (adoptionsupport.org) – Specializes in mental health and post-adoption support.

• Families Rising (wearefamiliesrising.org) – Formerly NACAC; great for foster care adoption and advocacy.

• AdoptUSKids (adoptuskids.org) – The primary national project for foster care adoption in the U.S.

Adoption Sensitive Movies

• Instant Family (2018) – PG-13

A realistic yet humorous look at foster care adoption, highlighting the "honeymoon phase" and subsequent challenges.

• Lion (2016) – PG-13

A powerful true story about an Indian boy adopted by an Australian couple who uses Google Earth to find his long-lost birth family.

• Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot (2024) – PG-13

The inspiring true story of a small community in Texas that adopted 77 of the most "unadoptable" children in the local foster system.

• Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) – PG

Highly praised by therapists for its sensitive handling of "Who am I?" and the realization that being adopted doesn't mean you were unloved.

• Lilo & Stitch (2002) – PG

An excellent depiction of kinship care and "Ohana," emphasizing that families created by choice are just as "broken and good" as any other.

• The Blind Side (2009) – PG-13

Based on the true story of Michael Oher, focusing on how a stable environment and a mother’s fierce advocacy can change a trajectory.

• Martian Child (2007) – PG

A touching story of a widower adopting a young boy with significant trauma-related behaviors, focusing on patience and unconditional love.

• Lifemark (2022) – PG-13

• A film that explores the complexities of open adoption and the emotional journey of a young man meeting his birth parents for the first time.