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About The Cradle

The Cradle is a nonprofit, licensed child welfare agency headquartered in Evanston, IL, which provides infant adoption services, counseling and educational support. Since opening in 1923, The Cradle has facilitated over 16,000 domestic and international adoptions and has been at the forefront of open adoption, African American infant adoption and placements with LGBTQ+-identifying families. Learn more about our 100-year history.

Our team of social workers, counselors, and education and outreach staff offer ethical, inclusive and lifelong support to tens of thousands of people touched by adoption, including birth parents, adopted persons, and adoptive parents. Services include options counseling for women facing unplanned pregnancies, placement services, pre- and post-adoption education, an adoption-competent clinical therapy program, post-adoption services to provide information about and/or connect individuals with birth relatives, as well as training for prospective adoptive parents and professionals through Adoption Learning Partners (ALP).

The Cradle is the only adoption agency in the country with an on-site nursery, a safe, neutral place for infants to stay while their parents take the time they need to decide if adoption will be the plan for this child. Learn more at Cradle.org or call 847-475-5800. Want to speak with a Cradle counselor about an unplanned pregnancy or to discuss possible adoption for your baby? Call 800-CRADLE4 (800-272-3534).

Our Vision

A world where every child thrives in a safe and loving family.

Our Mission

  • Building families through adoption.
  • Supporting families through life’s challenges.
  • Strengthening communities through education.

Stories from the Red Couch

Want to see The Cradle’s mission in action? Watch these first-hand accounts from Cradle families about how we continue to change lives.

Want to see The Cradle’s mission in action? Watch these first-hand accounts from Cradle families about how we continue to change lives.

The Cradle’s programs are supported by the generosity of our community of donors. Click here to make a charitable contribution in support of those touched by adoption.

 

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