Northwestern named among most adoption-friendly workplaces

For the 10th time, Northwestern College has been named to the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list compiled by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Northwestern was recognized as an adoption advocate and ranked fifth in the education industry for 2022—behind only Yale (first), Baylor University (second), New York University (third) and Emory University (fourth).

“We are so happy that Northwestern College has again been recognized as an adoption-friendly workplace,” says Mindy Stichka, Northwestern’s associate director of human resources. “Being able to provide financial assistance and time-off benefits to families who adopt at Northwestern is truly a reflection of our support of families—and is also aligned with our mission to pursue God’s redeeming work in the world.”

Though it has been several years since Northwestern library systems specialist Sherri Langton and her husband, Benjamin, adopted a daughter and son from Ethiopia, she remains grateful for NWC’s adoption-friendly policies. “I will never forget the way Northwestern supported me and my family throughout the entire adoption process,” she says. “It’s about more than the financial assistance, although that was much appreciated too. For us, it was the consistent support and flexibility to do whatever I needed to do to bring our children home and establish the family we’d always wanted.”

Northwestern offers financial assistance of up to $2,000 per adopted child to faculty and staff, with an additional reimbursement of up to $1,000 for the adoption of a special needs child. The funds can be used for home studies, agency and placement fees, legal expenses and court costs, medical expenses, and transportation and lodging. Adoptive parents can also take advantage of Northwestern’s parental leave benefit, which offers six weeks of paid leave to full-time and three-quarter time employees after 12 months of employment. Additionally, Northwestern employees who adopt are eligible for up to seven days paid leave beyond the six-week parental leave benefit.

Rankings for the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List are determined by surveying employer benefits across the United States, scoring participants on the amount of financial reimbursement and paid leave given to families who adopt, as well as the percentage of employees eligible for those benefits. In addition to ranking the top 100, the foundation also recognized the top 10 by size and the leaders of each industry.

More than 140,000 children in the U.S. foster care system are waiting to be adopted. The release of the annual Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List helps the Dave Thomas Foundation increase foster care adoption awareness while celebrating those organizations that support adoptive families. Find more information at davethomasfoundation.org.