Photolisting

Photolistings are collections of profiles of adoptable infants and children. The profiles and pictures are posted by agencies in the hopes of finding a family for the child but to also bring attention to other children at the agency. Because of this, photolistings are popular tools for prospective parents who may not know what kind of child they want to adopt until they've had a chance to see the many children waiting in their state's public and private agencies.

Photolistings for infants are relatively basic and the bios may be limited to the basic infant statistics like their Apgar scores, which can provide insight into the child's developmental speed. Older child profiles are more useful and may be easier to fall in love with as the children have unique personalities and known temperaments that may be included in their biographies. Keep in mind that a photo is worth a thousand words and a listing may only post 100. There's a story behind every child that will require further inquiry.

The way a photolisting works is as such: A couple registers their e-mail with a photolisting provider and when they want to inquire about a particular photolisting, the agency's contact information is e-mailed to them. Because there are hundreds of thousands of adoptable children in the U.S., it's impossible for every child to be featured in a photolisting. Therefore, it's important that prospective parents do not set their hopes on just one profile. Hundreds of future adopters may have also inquired about the profile or the child may already have found and adoptive family.