2024 Adoption Day Celebration

The 2024 Adoption Day Celebration will be on Friday, November 22, 2024 starting at 9:00 AM. It will be held on the second floor of the Polk County Justice Center (222 5th Avenue, Des Moines, IA).

Adoption Day celebrates children legally becoming a part of their forever family.

Judges, court staff, court reporters, social workers, attorneys, and volunteers work together to make Adoption Day a safe, fun and happy event for children and families. The second floor of the Justice Center is transformed into a family friendly environment with gifts for the adoptive families, refreshments and activities for the whole family.

To participate in Adoption Day:

All home studies have been completed and approved.
The child being adopted has resided in your home for at least 180 days.
Contact your HHS Adoption Worker and request to participate in Adoption Day and discuss next steps.
Contact your adoption attorney and let them know you wish to participate in Adoption Day
Invite your family and friends.

The filing deadline for families who wish to finalize their adoptions at Adoption Day is November 8, 2024. Find an Adoption Attorney.

Adoption professionals will be available to answer any questions about being a foster and adoptive parent, including post-adoption support services available through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. To learn more about becoming a foster-adoptive parent in Iowa, please visit: Iowa Foster Care & Adoptive Family Connections-Post Adoptive and Permanency Support

Find an Attorney for Adoption Day

Volunteer for the 2024 Adoption Day Celebration

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Donate to the 2024 Adoption Day Celebration

Your gifts, both large and small, will help us celebrate families who have made a life-long commitment to each other. For many of these foster children, it has been a long journey to find their forever home.

While a gift in any amount makes a difference, please consider becoming an Ally, Advocate, Hope Builder or Dream Maker for our 2024 Adoption Day Families.

Dream Maker-$2,500.00

Hope Builder-$1,000.00

Advocate-$500.00

Ally-$50.00

Thank you in advance for your generous support that allows us to make a difference in the lives of central Iowa children and their families each year. The Youth Law Center is a registered 501(c)(3) making your donation tax deductible.

Information for Adoption Day Attorneys

Adoption Attorneys please take these extra steps to make things go smoothly on Adoption Day.

PRIOR TO ADOPTION DAY:

1. Contact Judge Seymour's Court attendant, Lesley Meza to schedule your time and courtroom on Adoption Day.

2. When you file Petition to Adopt with the Juvenile Clerk of Court, please indicate in the notes that this is an adoption for Adoption Day. All petitions must be filed by November 8, 2024.

3. Please upload all necessary documents, exhibits, including the proposed Adoption Decree by November 11, 2024. Please be sure to have your client review the child's Adoption Decree to ensure that all the names are accurately spelled.

ON ADOPTION DAY:

4. Have all Certificates of Adoption completed and approved by your client.

5. After the Adoption hearing, take the Certificate of Adoption to the Clerk's office along with $15 for the processing fee along with an additional $15 for each copy of the new birth certificate your client would like purchased. At least one copy is required to be ordered from Vital Records.

Please note that the $40 Court Reporter Fee is waived along with the costs associated with certified copies of the Adoption Decree.