Spence-Chapin is proud to announce the launch of its Costa Rica Adoption Program, expanding the organization’s international adoption services as part of our strategic plan to be present in the places where children need support most.
NEW YORK, March 4, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children (Spence-Chapin), a longstanding Hague-accredited, nonprofit adoption agency, proudly announces the launch of its Costa Rica Adoption Program. With this new intercountry adoption program, the agency advances its strategic vision to serve children with the greatest need, and its mission is to find loving, permanent families for the children who need them.
“This program represents both a continuation of our legacy and a forward-looking commitment to children who remain without families,” said Spence-Chapin CEO Yekaterina Trambitskaya. “Intercountry adoption, when pursued ethically and transparently, can transform a child’s life trajectory. Our new program in Costa Rica reflects our unwavering belief that every child deserves permanency, dignity, and the opportunity to thrive within a loving family.”
In Costa Rica, thousands of children remain in institutional or alternative care settings, with many legally eligible for adoption. Through its Costa Rica Adoption Program, Spence-Chapin, which brings more than 115 years of experience and has helped over 30,000 families come together through adoption, will advocate for the children in need of adoptive families by identifying and preparing families across the United States for adoption of children, primarily of school-age, including those with special needs or part of sibling pairs.
Spence-Chapin will become one of only two adoption service providers currently placing children from Costa Rica, with families in the United States, and the sole inclusive provider, offering pathways for families of all backgrounds and structures. Spence-Chapin’s Costa Rica Adoption Program will provide families with comprehensive services, including education and preparation, home study services, dossier preparation, in-country coordination, and lifelong post-adoption support.
“Every child has a fundamental right to grow up in a safe, nurturing family, said Lauren Jiang, Spence-Chapin Chief Program Officer for International Programs. “We deeply respect Costa Rica’s commitment to ethical adoption practice and are honored to collaborate with their child welfare authority, Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI), to ensure that children who cannot be reunified with their biological families or adopted domestically have the opportunity to thrive in permanent families.”
Spence-Chapin is partnering with seasoned attorneys Yolanda Leiva Urcuyo and Rebeca Borbón Leiva, who will serve as Spence-Chapin’s legal representatives in Costa Rica. They each bring more than a decade of experience in intercountry adoption, including with adoptions into the United States.
“This accreditation reflects a shared commitment between Costa Rica and the United States to ensure that children who cannot be placed domestically have the opportunity to grow up in a permanent family,” the attorneys shared in a joint statement. “As legal representatives of Spence-Chapin, we are honored to help open the door for qualified U.S. families to pursue adoption through a framework grounded in legal integrity, transparency, and with the child’s best interests at the heart of every step.”
Spence-Chapin’s Costa Rica Adoption Program will provide families with comprehensive services, including education and preparation, home study services, dossier preparation, in-country coordination, and lifelong post-adoption support.
In addition to the international adoption programs, Spence-Chapin provides pathways to adoption within the United States through their Domestic Infant Adoption Program and their Special Needs Adoption Program, which finds permanent adoptive families for children who are medically fragile and has placed more than 550 children with their forever families since 1995. Through their Family and Community Support team, Spence-Chapin also offers adoption-competent counseling and lifelong community programming to all those connected to adoption, including adolescent mentorship programs and children’s playgroups.
Spence-Chapin also continues to transform the lives of children living outside of family care through its global child support programs like the Granny Program, which currently benefits more than 550 children living in orphanages around the world.
Families interested in learning more about the Costa Rica Adoption Program are encouraged to attend an upcoming informational webinar or visit www.spence-chapin.org/costa-rica-adoption. To learn more about the impact Spence-Chapin is having throughout its program areas, visit www.spence-chapin.org.
Media Contact
Christine Pohl, Spence-Chapin, 1 212-360-0285, [email protected], https://spence-chapin.org/
SOURCE Spence-Chapin
