The Cradle

Faith Carlson

The Cradle is horrible. They are unethical when working with vulnerable mothers. They do not provide ethical choices counseling as they claim they do. Proper choices counseling would have involved informed consent which warns a mother about the lifelong risks of her child being adopted and the lifelong risks of adoption to the relinquishing mother. I was never told of any risks just lied to by the counselor. The counselor said things that adoption was best for my child and that she deserved to be raised with "lots and lots of cash." When asked about parenting resources, I was given a packet that showed high expenses and low wages for young mothers who parent. The packet included bogus stats saying that, "most young mothers who parent end up poor the rest of their lives." The packet goes on to state that the joys of parenthood can quickly become stresses if the mom is unable to provide their baby with the life they want them to have. The packet had no resources listed for parenting support and my counselor admitted to me that she did not know of any parenting resources in my area. After signing I started learning about the risks of adoption on my own which included learning the truama alot of adoptees go through from just being adopted, this information was from adoptees themselves via social media.

Brian Heltsmith

I urge families to do extensive research on agencies before choosing one. ESPECIALLY this agency. They strung us along for over 2 years before we had to make a tough decision and walk away. (Just for the in-home study) During that 2 year+ time period, our concerns about their process were disregarded, our privacy was compromised and our feedback on their "diversity" seminar was approached with open hostility and outright anger. It could very well have been an issue with our counselor, but there were no checks and balances within the organization. I know that The Cradle does a large amount of same sex adoption, so it seemed that this was just a personal issue for our counselor. Please do not be fooled by the address and stately manner of the organization. If something seems too good to be true, it is.

Meghan Anderson

I was adopted from The Cradle in 1979 and I remember visiting there as a small child and seeing the nursery. Seeing where I came from, hearing the stories and seeing pictures is a part of who I am. My parents had an amazing experience with my whole adoption which makes me feel so complete. They tell me 'the story' at least once a year. The Cradle makes families happen and I don't think there is a more important job in the world.

Carroll D

What an incredible place. I was blown away with the nursery and services for the babies and parents - whether adopting, or making the difficult decision to put their child up for adoption. We had a wonderful tour and was extremely impressed with the history of the facility and what they continue to offer.