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Your donations are critical to our mission. Contribute once or regularly to help us build more families.

Donate

Join

Become part of our community. Discover what becoming an adoptive parent is like. Receive our newsletter and learn about upcoming events.

Sign Up

Share

Engage with us on social media and help broaden our reach and impact.

Give

Your donations are critical to our mission. Contribute once or regularly to help us build more families.

Donate

Join

Become part of our community. Discover what becoming an adoptive parent is like. Receive our newsletter and learn about upcoming events.

Sign Up

Share

Engage with us on social media and help broaden our reach and impact.

The Imperative

There are nearly half a million children in foster care across the United States. Less than 3% will ever graduate from college. 25% will be incarcerated within 2 years of aging out. Shuffled from home to home, they never find the safety and permanence of a real family. Downey Side advocates for children aged 7-17 and sibling groups, the least likely to be adopted and the most at risk.

Growing Families for Over 50 Years

From our offices in New York and New Jersey, we help families in those states give loving homes to children from across the country. We have placed children from approximately 75 jurisdictions in different regions of the US. As both an adoption agency and an advocacy group we strive to better individual lives and raise awareness to drive large-scale solutions.

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1500+

Adoptions

50+

Years of Service

75+

States & Counties

Resources

Downey Side at the NJ Adoption Summit 2025

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Dawn Rusinko, our NY/NJ Director speaks at the New Jersey Adoption Summit about Downey Side's Mission and the children in foster care that we place into adoptive homes.  
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Downey Side Adoption connects older kids with families

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LAVALLETTE — For more than 50 years, Downey Side Adoption has been bringing together families and older kids in the country’s foster care system. In June, the nonprofit, which has a New Jersey location in Lavallette, will be holding its…
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Rusinko is dedicated to helping children find their forever home

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We are thrilled that our NY/NJ Director, Dawn Rusinko was featured in February's 2025 edition of The Provider's Council Newspaper.  Check out the full article on page 3 by clicking here.
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