A Day In The Life Of The Adoptive Parent Coordinator

By Stephanie Blok
January 11, 2019

5:30 am- alarm goes off- snooze button hit multiple times…

6: 00 am- 2nd alarm goes off- snooze button hit multiple times….

6:25 am- 3rd alarm goes off- finally drag self out of bed- This is exciting getting to sleep in as my high-schooler is on winter break, so I don’t have to get up and take him to school!!

7:55 am- email from the owner about the website issue

8:08 am- drag self out of the house with coffee in hand to head to work

9:00 am- arrive at the office and start drinking coffee that was brought from home and fix the website

9:15 am- check emails- not just my domestic email, but also my international, as well as the Home Study Coordinator, ’s email, who I am covering for while she is out on medical leave… Drink. More. Coffee.

9:45 am- submit billing approval for 17 placements in the month of December! Also, submit billing approval for website tech support for both HOA and HOAA websites (good thing I fixed the issue myself today huh!)

10:00 am- start responding to emails

10:20 am- ask a coworker where a form is that a family needs as it isn’t one I typically use. she doesn’t know either so we both search our server and she finds it first and sends it to me via email! I can then continue responding to emails…

10:30 am- approve profiles for the website and make them active for all to see

10:40- add families to the database as all of their documents have been received to be on the agency wait list

10:55 am- run to the bathroom then return and keep drinking coffee

11:00 am- review profile proof, continue drinking coffee, and email family my thoughts on the edits it should have

11:40 am- starting to think about lunch options- shoot a message on Skype to our executive director and a few caseworkers about what their thoughts are for ordering something??

12:21 pm- Lunch agreed upon and ordered online with a coworker going to pick up for all of us. smiley

12:30 pm- call a waiting adoptive family about a stork drop situation- They want to get pre-engagement documents to review

12:35 pm- notify caseworker on the above situation so she can send documents

12:40pm-sit in the executive director’s office and discuss a situation regarding an expedited home study we are working on, eat 3 chocolate kisses out of her candy jar

1:04 pm- return to my office, finish (lukewarm) coffee from this morning, start drinking lemonade and eating lunch that just arrived

1:15 pm- while eating lunch, clear cache on agency website to get a profile to load correctly. Also, send an email response to a coworker about training a new caseworker on how to complete a form once I am done eating.

1:30 pm- chatted with a coworker about documents and fees for stork drop situation.

1:37 pm- headed to new caseworker’s office to show her how to complete Adoptive Parent Request Form (This form is sent to me when caseworkers need profiles for a birth mother.)

1:50 pm- back in own office, created a receipt for application and advertising fees received and sent to family as they are applying for grants and need proof of waitlist acceptance.

1:53 pm- get PM on Facebook from an international family that they have been matched through their home country and have a sweet baby girl they want me (and my husband who is copied on the message) to meet her!! Could possibly be the message of the week!!

1:55 pm- get an email from ICPC that family is free to travel home to NJ- notify caseworker so she can let the family know!!

1:57 pm- run to the bathroom, return to office and drink more lemonade

2:05 pm- Help a caseworker track down a birth father using Facebook so we can notify him of adoption plan

2:25 pm- continue to message with international family, see a video of a sweet baby girl, talk about her name and how to pronounce it!

2:48 pm- Call with adoptive family having to decline a situation due to unforeseen medical issues.

3:12 pm- inquiry call with a prospective adoptive family wanting to get on the agency’s wait list

3:25 pm- Call with executive director about a currently waiting family and their comfort levels and wait time as they reached out to her about meeting up when in town and getting an update next week

3:33 pm- received an Adoptive Parent Request Form from caseworker needing profiles for family (good thing I trained her on it earlier!!)

3:45 pm- 2nd call with the potential adoptive family for stork drop situation with updated info about baby’s health/well-being

3:55 pm- reviewed database of waiting families and pulled 5 profiles to send to the caseworker for a new request received today.

3:58 pm- tracked above profiles shown in the database, finished lemonade frown

4:30 pm- meet with caseworker and birth mother and notarize documents with her

5:00 pm-  inquiry call with prospective AP’s residing in CA that want to get on the waitlist

5:35 pm- sent home study instructional information to a new client.

5:37 pm- confirmed meeting time for new website design/build

5:38pm-…..turning off the computer and heading home for the weekend. I have a Christmas tree to take down, decorations to put away, grocery shopping to do, and who knows what else….

For all those that wonder, I sent 48 emails today, received 75 emails and had 13 phone calls….and I wonder where my day goes. Today was a rather quiet day in terms of life as the Adoptive Parent Coordinator of the largest Florida only private adoption agency.