Today's Tuesday's Child is Nyla. She is 12 years old and one of the things she really enjoys doing is including classmates that may be feeling isolated or left out. "I show kindness to others especially those who are left out or teased," says Nyla.

Nyla is the type of student that enjoys getting challenged. It's not unusual for her to ask for extra work in her classes. She is working above grade level in math and reading, so she often is working on harder lessons than are assigned. When she finishes her classwork she really enjoys helping some of the other students in her class. Her clinician, Mac says how impressed she is with Nyla's school work, "She's an incredible student and is a leader in the classroom."

Nyla is a very bright and has a terrific sense of humor. She has many interests including doing her hair and nails, playing video games, playing sports, reading, and just hanging out with friends.

She has made significant gains in developing and practicing emotional regulation skills. She has learn to keep small problems small and to recover quickly from the challenging problems. Nyla can also be independent and can entertain herself with projects or just reading a book.

Legally freed for adoption, Nyla will thrive in most any family constellations with older children or no other children in the home. Nyla 's new family should be willing to commit to keeping her in contact, both virtually and with "in person" visits, with her biological siblings and her maternal grandmother who live in western Massachusetts. There is an open adoption agreement in place for three visits a year with her birth mother.

Who Can Adopt?

If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won’t have to pay any fees, adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts.

The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that your family will fit well with.

To learn more about adoption from foster care, call the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) at (617) 964-6273 or visit www.mareinc.org. Start the process today and give a waiting child a permanent place to call home.

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