10 things to consider when going through the adoption process

"There's still a myth – people feel in large part that they have to be the stereotypical ‘nuclear’ family, but that’s not the case these days," McCoy explained. "You don’t have to be wealthy. You don’t even have to own your own home or be part of a married couple, but you do have to be financially stable to support an extra child."

What else do you need to adopt? McCoy recommends starting with the 10 questions below:

This is also an important characteristic for those fostering to adopt, as you will have court appointments and visitations, and you will never know when they may pop up.

In either scenario, you need to be OK with not knowing every detail and be willing to adapt along the way.

Consider if you are capable of providing more than the physical support. Can you emotionally support someone who has been through those difficult times?

Make sure that everyone is on board with the decision and that they are there for support throughout.

Adoptive children still need to experience that same unconditional love. Families coming to agencies for adoption often come with specifics, but you can’t always get that when adopting.

"At the end of the day, adoption is not for everyone," McCoy said. "But there are other ways to help, like donating or connecting your network with a placement agency."