Adoption Center of Illinois
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Contact Information
5828 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60660
United States
Online Contact Form
Chicago, IL 60660
United States
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
Adoption Center for Family Building (ACFB) is a private, nonprofit open adoption agency licensed in Illinois and Indiana. We provide a full range of adoption counseling and placement services to birth parents and adoptive parents. Our experienced counselors are dedicated to helping our clients get the guidance and support they need throughout their adoption journey.
The agency was founded in 1996 by Tobi Ehrenpreis and Maggie Gill Benz. Both licensed social workers and adoptive mothers, Tobi and Maggie combined their administrative and clinical expertise to establish the agency. ACFB was conceived to be a progressive alternative to traditional, faith-based adoption agencies.
While going through the adoption process themselves, both women encountered barriers along the way. They were committed to creating a more transparent and flexible agency to better meet the needs of everyone.
Services and information
- Adoption
- Other
Requirements to become a foster parent
You must meet minimum requirements to provide foster care for children in Illinois. To become a foster parent, you must:
- Be at least 21 years old
- Attend foster parent orientation
- Pass a background check
- Finish 30 hours of foster parent training
- Complete the Home Study
- Provide at least three references
- Clear a physical exam
- Maintain financial stability
Foster families must be able to provide a safe and comfortable home for a child. You must provide room for the child to have a bed and enough space for personal belongings.
Foster parents do not need to be married or have a partner. However, if married, couples must show a stable marriage of at least one year before they can foster a child in Illinois.
Foster parents need to meet a child's basic care needs, such as providing meals and clothing. Foster families must also support a foster child's education and assist them in developing social skills.
Contact the DCFS or a local licensed child-placing agency to learn more or begin the fostering approval process.
Ratings and Reviews
Average user rating
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Jan 29, 2018
My husband and I are using ACI for their Home Study services. Everyone we have interacted with have been encouraging, kind, knowledgeable, and amazing! The classes they offer for families who are adopting have been invaluable.
Oct 13, 2013
We adopted our precious daughter through the Adoption Center of Illinois three years ago when it was the Family Resource Center. We had looked into several agencies and this one was by far the most genuine and caring. We love that its mission is "to help children around the world through adoption." Putting the child first is the only way to go and they live up to this mission every day. I also really appreciate the approach to counsel that they offer to individuals who are considering making an adoption plan for their child. They offer support and guidance to help each person figure out what is best for his or her situation.
We are now in the process of trying to adopt a second child and are so glad to have the opportunity to adopt with their assistance again. Our daughter puts it best, "Thank you for placing me into the arms of my family when I was just a little baby." We thank you too and are so grateful to have the joy and privilege of being parents to our daughter.
Oct 08, 2013
We had a very positive experience adopting our daughter through the Adoption Center of Illinois (FRC). We found the staff to be knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. The process was smooth and actually quite fast.
Our daughter is a wonderful blessing in our lives.
Aug 30, 2013
I came to know Adoption Center of Illinois when it was called Family Resource Center (FRC), and my experience with it was very good. We adopted our son through this agency in 2003. The director of the agency, Richard Pearlman, introduced us to something we had never heard about: open adoption - keeping contact with the birth family of your child. At first we wondered whether we would not have to deal with conflicts, but it turned out very different. The birth mother of our son didn't want contact with us in the first ten years, for reasons we could understood and respect, due to FRC's explanations.
In 2013 we asked FRC to contact her, ten years after we adopted our son. It turned out to become a great success. We actually did meet the birth mother of our son, and it made our hearts sing. My son seems to be doing more balanced ever since we met. Ever since he has seen with his own eyes that she is happy with us, as we are happy with her. We are a big family now - as the birth mother of my son puts it ;-)
It was Richard who introduced us to the idea of embracing birth relatives, and he arranged everything for us. With love and with special concern for the most important person in all this: our son. We feel so thankful to him for his role in our lives. He encourages us to do what we do and to be who we are. Thank you Richard! And thank you FRC, because the whole agency supports his very ethical vision on adoption.
All employees of FRC were always there for us, when we had questions. Each one of them deserved our trust, we feel.
Aug 06, 2013
We adopted our brilliant and beautiful son through Adoption Center of Illinois over 8 years ago when it was still called Family Resource Center. After researching numerous agencies, we knew they were right for us. They have a child-first approach to adoption. Everyone was very genuine and down-to-earth. We were especially impressed with the level of honesty about the process. They helped us manage our expectations for birth parent interaction and timing. Overall, good-hearted people who genuinely care about everyone involved.