Hopeful Beginnings of St. Mary's
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Contact Information
510 N. Plum Grove Rd.
Palatine, IL 60067
United States
Online Contact Form
Palatine, IL 60067
United States
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8:30 AM-4:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:30 AM-4:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:30 AM-4:30 PM |
| Thursday | 8:30 AM-4:30 PM |
| Friday | 8:30 AM-4:30 PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hopeful Beginnings is a nonprofit adoption agency supporting women experiencing unplanned pregnancy and adoptive families throughout the Chicagoland area.
Thank you for taking the time to view our website and consider all the wonderful services that Hopeful Beginnings offers women and families. Since its conception, Hopeful Beginnings vision has been that all children deserve a loving home. Hopeful Beginnings acknowledges that caring for those who care for children is the best way to ensure that little ones have all they need to grow and thrive in the world. In order to achieve this, the agency provides a plethora of services including adoption services, case management and access to free baby essentials, as well as free maternal mental health counseling for birthing persons experiencing postpartum depression/anxiety, grief and loss of a pregnancy and or difficulty transitioning to motherhood.
Hopeful Beginnings takes its responsibility to the community and to children very seriously, and is committed to providing quality services. As a 501c3, Hopeful Beginnings is committed to serving all families without prejudice. This means we are proud of our history of being founded in 1887 by Sisters of the Episcopal Church, and we are still supported in small part by a grant by Episcopal Charities, but as a public agency we are bound to our duty to serve children and families of all religions, income levels, races and orientations.
Services and information
- Adoption
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
4.5 / 5| 5 | |
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| 1 |
Aug 06, 2021
Joanne Bratta, The Director of Hopeful Beginnings is a true pleasure to work with. Her caring and complete understanding of the journey of birth mothers and adoptive parents is wonderful and I would recommend Hopeful Beginnings to anyone looking for counseling or has questions on this sensitive time in a person's life.
Aug 10, 2020
There couldn't be a group of more passionate, caring people as there are at Hopeful Beginnings. They all truly love what they do. Everyone who comes in contact with this team can really feel it.
Aug 09, 2020
I was adopted through St. Mary's as a baby 50 years ago. In the past ten years, I've reconnected and am proud to now serve on the board. The caring staff are true to the founding sisters' vision that every child deserves a good home. In addition to adoption, outreach to high school teens, workshops for parents, and many types of counseling for women continue to provide listening and guidance with dignity and compassion for women, children, and families. Hopeful Beginnings of St. Mary's continues to make an enormous positive difference in many people's lives as it has in mine.
Apr 11, 2019
St Mary’s is dedicated to their mission. They offer numerous services for birth moms as they navigate the adoption journey.
The attention they give and caring they provide for waiting families is wonderful.
My wife and I chose them in late 2011 because they were smaller and really felt comfortable.
Personal touch is paramount during this process for both birth moms and families waiting. St Mary’s provides this on an ongoing basis.
I will forever be thankful to this organization for fostering the unconditional love my nearly 7 year old daughter provides my wife and I since we brought her home at 3 days old. There is nothing that brings more joy. The match between birth mom and our family could not have been better.
Any birth mom or waiting family should consider choosing St Mary’s for their family planning.
Aug 11, 2018
As a board member for St. Mary's Services for 8 years, I have had an excellent view of the growth of the agency. The staff is passionate about the mission, "Every child deserves a good home". Our executive director is a visionary. She has created an environment that encourages inventive solutions and programs to support the women, children and families in the community. From the volunteers to the board of trustees, the focus is always how best can we help create loving, caring and stable families.