Baylor recognized among nation’s top 100 adoption-friendly workplaces
Less than a year after introducing adoption assistance benefits that were quickly recognized as some of the best in higher ed, Baylor has been honored as one of the nation’s Top 100 Adoption-Friendly Workplaces.
The honor comes from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which is dedicated to finding homes for children in foster care. (If Dave Thomas’ name sounds familiar, you may remember him as the founder of Wendy’s who for years appeared in most of their commercials. Long before he found success at Wendy’s, Thomas himself was adopted.) The foundation surveyed employers in various fields across the nation, looking for those with the best adoption benefits, financial reimbursement and paid leave given to adoptive families.
Only one other university (NYU) ranked ahead of Baylor on the list, in which Baylor came in overall tied at No. 89, just behind Zappos and just ahead of Microsoft. When you look at the ways Baylor supports adoptive parents, it’s easy to see that few can compare.
Last April, Baylor implemented its new Adoption Assistance Program, which helps full-time faculty and staff who are adopting children in a number of ways. Most notably, the university provides up to $6,000 of qualifying adoption-related expenses for up to two adoptions each year, and extends paid parental leave to both mothers and fathers of adoptive parents for up to four weeks. No other university in Texas provides adoption expense coverage, and only a few in the nation extend that benefit.
More than 110,000 children are in the foster care system, waiting to be adopted. Throughout the years, numerous Baylor employees have opened their hearts and their homes to many of these children. (You can read three of those stories here, here and here.) At Baylor Law School, dozens of children are legally united with their forever families at the school’s annual Adoption Day. One university can’t help every child in foster care, but as the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption honor shows, one university can demonstrate to others how they can help be part of the solution.
Sic ’em, Baylor adoptive parents!
You might also like:
* Baylor law student, veteran, adoptive father honored as Pat Tillman Scholar (Oct. 2017)
* Baylor’s new parental leave and adoption assistance benefits among the best in higher ed (May 2017)
* Baylor grad turns double-decker bus into rolling fundraiser for orphans’ needs (Oct. 2015)
* Baylor senior finds her true family inside the Baylor family (May 2015)