Partnership Marks National Adoption Month With Call for Families

Sixty-one children and youth in North Central Florida are still waiting for permanent families through foster care adoption.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Parenting

Weathered wooden front porch with small rubber boots beside a bench, a live oak branch overhead, and a sunlit lawn beyond. — Partnership for Strong Families marked National Adoption Month 2026 with a call for permanent homes for 61 children and youth in North Central Florida still waiting in foster care. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you consider adopting a child from foster care?

Partnership for Strong Families, based in Gainesville, Florida, marked National Adoption Month 2026 by highlighting the continuing need for permanent homes for children in foster care. The agency has finalized the adoptions of thirty-three children since July 1, 2026.

Why it matters

Children who cannot be reunited with their families remain in foster care until a permanent family is found, and adoption offers them stability. Raising awareness locally is aimed at connecting more waiting children with adoptive families.

Partnership for Strong Families reports 61 children and youth in North Central Florida are waiting for permanent families, and 33 adoptions have been finalized since July 1, 2026. The announcement does not say how many of the waiting children are expected to be matched within the next year.

The players

Partnership for Strong Families

Partnership for Strong Families is a child welfare agency based in Gainesville, Florida, that supports reunification and places children in foster care with permanent adoptive families when reunification is not possible.

The details

Partnership for Strong Families supports reunification of families when it is safe and in a child's best interest. When reunification is not possible, children in foster care may be adopted by permanent families, and the agency is using National Adoption Month, observed each November nationwide and locally, to spotlight that need.

- July 1, 2026: Partnership for Strong Families began counting finalized adoptions.
- November 2026: National Adoption Month is observed nationwide and locally.

Family Pathways

National Adoption Month, observed each November across the country, is the annual moment when child welfare agencies like Partnership for Strong Families focus public attention on children still waiting in foster care. The Gainesville announcement applies that national focus to the 61 children in North Central Florida who have not yet found permanent families.

Families in North Central Florida who are considering foster care or adoption can contact Partnership for Strong Families for information about the process. The agency's outreach is aimed at increasing the number of permanent homes available to the 61 waiting children.

The takeaway

Permanent families change the trajectory of a child's life, and local awareness is a practical first step for those willing to consider adoption. Anyone interested can begin by learning what the foster care adoption process involves.