A Moncton family is calling on the province to provide free post-secondary education to adopted children in New Brunswick.
According to the New Brunswick Adoption Foundation, 275 children over the age of 11 are still waiting to be placed in permanent homes in the province.
Jeff Kennedy believes providing free education for adopted youth may encourage more New Brunswick families to adopt older kids.
Kennedy and Yves Robichaud adopted their son Colin when he was 8 years old.
‘Now we have 8 years to make up for over the next 10 years for him to be prepared to go to university, and that should not be something that parents should have to worry about, especially if they are adopting because they are doing a wonderful, deed for the province,” said Kennedy.
“Just the relief that you know that you are finally going to get to settle down in your own home and not have to worry about pack your bags it’s time to go,” said Colin.
Kennedy and Robichaud have provided Colin with a stable and loving home, but Kennedy says saving for their son’s education has been a challenge.
According to the Suzanne Kingston with the New Brunswick Adoption Foundation, close to 500 kids are waiting to be adopted.
”Our goal is to make sure that those kids get permanency as early as possible,” said Kingston.
The longer a child spends without a permanent home, the less likely they are to graduate from high school. They are also, “more likely to have a child at a young age, less likely to have stable employment, more likely to live in poverty,” said Kingston.
Kingston says currently under the NB Department of Social Development, post-secondary education is covered if a child remains in care, but if they get adopted, parents are expected to cover the cost.
Kennedy believes more families may be willing to adopt older children if the province paid for post-secondary education for kids who find permanent homes.
“Not having a family is very scary, so how do you start the next chapter of your life without that permanency,” said Kennedy.
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