MARE Programs & Services

MARE focuses on waiting children who are ages six and older, children of color of all ages, sibling groups, children with emotional, physical and intellectual challenges, and children who are at legal risk. MARE Programs and Services include:

Wednesday's Child
“Wednesday’s Child” is a weekly news feature, which airs on CBS4 Boston during the Wednesday noon and 4:30 p.m. newscasts. Each week, host Jack Williams introduces the audience to a child or sibling group waiting to be adopted. This series began in October of 1981.

Other Child-Specific Media Recruitment Campaigns
MARE coordinates regular child-specific features in the following media outlets: Boston Sunday Globe (Sunday’s Child®), Dorchester Community News, Boston People’s Voice, Boston Parents Paper, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Taunton Gazette, Free Bird Times, Daily Hampshire Gazette and Rumbo (in Spanish). MARE is also involved with features in: Boston Sunday Herald (“Today’s Child”) and La Vida Catolica (in Spanish).

Adoption Parties
MARE hosts four to six adoption parties per year in different locations throughout Massachusetts. These events bring together social workers, waiting children and prospective adoptive parents in casual and fun settings. Families new to adoption can learn more about the process and all families can meet and get to know social workers and waiting children from around the state. Click here for a guide to attending adoption parties.

Single Parent Matching Nights
MARE hosts matching meetings for social workers and single prospective adoptive parents with approved homestudies. An experienced single adoptive parent is always invited to share his or her story and provide information on resources. Social workers present specific waiting children through verbal descriptions, pictures, videos and other methods.

Adoption Information and Referrals
MARE provides information and referrals related to adoption. Staff are on call Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to answer general or child-specific inquiries.

MARE Photolisting®
The MARE Photolisting® contains biographical profiles and photographs of children who are registered with MARE and available for adoption. The MARE Photolisting®, which is updated monthly, is available at numerous public libraries and social service agencies throughout the state. The monthly pages and updates can be mailed to individuals for a nominal annual fee. Families who are at all different stages of the adoption process are encouraged to call MARE to inquire about specific children from the MARE Photolisting®. “The better maintained the MARE Photolisting® is, the more children and families it can connect to create lifelong families. Please let us know if you experience any problems with accessing the MARE Photolisting® by sending an email.”

Family Photolisting
Families with completed and approved homestudies can be photolisted with MARE for a nominal one-time fee. Each family has its own page, which features a self-written description and a photograph of the family. The family pages are sent only to social workers, not to the libraries.

Family and Child Registration
Families with completed and approved homestudies can register with MARE. A family’s criteria will be compared with the needs of the children registered with MARE. If a match is identified, MARE will forward the family’s homestudy directly to the child’s social worker. Follow-up on such referrals is at the discretion of the child’s social worker. There is no fee for this service.

Video Recruitment
MARE creates individual videos of waiting children as requested by the child's social worker.

To learn more about any of the MARE programs and services, please complete an Information Request Form or contact us at 617-54-ADOPT (617-542-3678) or 1-800-882-1176.

To view upcoming adoption events, please click here.