I did my research when it came adopting. We definitely wanted an agency that knew how and what to do. I knew that was Barker when we chatted on the phone in the very beginning with the director of the PWNL (project wait no longer). Beverly Clarke answered the many questions that I had, she got to know us and was able to guide us through the process. We completed the training and paperwork, and when it finally came time to find our child, we had our own case worker searching and updating us on her findings. It took several months, but were matched with our daughter in April 2012 from outside of our state. We were never asked to pay ahead for anything that we were not already informed of... in fact, we were reimbursed for some after placement travel and some expenses were paid for by the state. I have heard of horror stories from people trying to do this on their own, and would never go with anyone else but BARKER! We have never been happier, we were matched with a child that was right for US and WE were right for HER. We looked forward to our monthly social worker visits, she listened to us, gave helpful information and support, and also was there for our daughter as she went through this big life changing event! Barker was very much a part of our transition with our daughter and assisting us with after placement questions. Even after we have finished with the adoption, we feel like The Barker Foundation is and will always be an important part of our lives and family, and I know we can always look to them for any issues or support that we may want in the future! Finally a family of 3! read more

Both of my children were adopted through the Korean program through Barker Foundation. Between 2008 and 2014, we were consistently pleased with the supportive, professional, and knowledgeable staff and with their ethical and transparent process. When there were some minor issues with the program and staff, changes were made to quickly address the situation. One of the most surprising aspects of the adoption journey has been all of the other wonderful adoptive families we have met through Barker. These are families who help our kids see that they aren't alone in their experiences. They are also simply fun, kind people who will be lifelong friends. Barker partners with the Korean Social Welfare Society (SWS) and we can't say enough wonderful things about SWS, their staff, and their care for the children in their custody. If you are considering adopting from Korea, be sure to understand both the US agency and the Korean agency with whom you will be working. International adoption is constantly unpredictable and not for the weak-of-heart, but Barker helped us navigate the process as smoothly as possible. By far the most important aspect in choosing an adoption agency is to consider their ethics, and I was so reassured to be working with an agency that is focuses on the well being of children and the lifelong support of adoptive families, adults who have been adopted, and birth families. read more

Our adoption journey finally came to a delightful conclusion after we switched to the Barker Foundation. We had been in the China Waiting Child Program for a couple of years and the agency we started with made a "change of strategic direction", discontinued their involvement with the China Program and recommended that we switch to Barker. When we first met Tina we were admittedly somewhat sceptical of her guestimate that within a few months or so we would be matched. That guestimate turned out to be optimistic only by a matter of another few months - which from today's perspective pales into insignificance. In fact we had decided that the "paperwork refresh" we had just done would be the last and if we were not able to find a match we would discontinue our efforts. And then the match came. Barker's proactive approach of dealing directly with orphanages in China to bring them up-to-speed with Hague Convention adoptions simply puts them ahead. We have had unequivocally excellent communications with all Barker folks on all occasions. The adoption process is daunting but taking it one step at a time with Barker's guidance all along the way, we succeeded. We have been home with our delightful two year old Emma for seven months now. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Barker and we wish them and all who decide to work with them the very best of luck. read more

When my husband and I moved to DC, we met with a few other agencies in the area before deciding on The Barker Foundation. We were immediately impressed with the level of professionalism among the staff at Barker and the educational resources available to families. The adoption process (we chose the China Waiting Child Program) was always mapped out for us so that we understood step by step where we were in the process and what to expect next. The Barker staff was always available and eager to help whenever we had questions. When it was time to travel to China to pick up our son, every aspect of the trip was orchestrated perfectly by the Barker staff and coordinated through their contacts in China. It was an amazing experience, and we could not imagine trying to navigate the trip without Barker's assistance. We met many families while in China who were going through the same adoption process, but using different agencies, and they had been waiting weeks or months for the necessary appointments. The Barker Foundation worked out all of the details prior to our travel, and everything went perfectly and very professionally. We met wonderful friends through the programs at Barker who were able to share their adoption experiences with us, and we continue to keep in touch and visit one another even though we are no longer in the DC area. read more

Working with The Barker Foundation over the last two years has been a warm and rewarding experience! From the moment we attended the information session, we knew that Barker was the agency we wanted to work with. Each and every staff member is caring, supportive, and honest - all of the characteristics you want as you begin and go through the adoption process. We were in Barker's domestic infant program. They were very up front about the wait times and expectations in this program, so much so that we also worked with another agency to lessen the wait time. We attended trainings, waiting parents meetings, and their annual conference to help educate ourselves and connect with other families who were in the process or had completed the adoption process. Barker was always there (and still is!) to guide us, answer questions, and keep us engaged during the waiting period to adopt our son. They are thorough, ethical, and are very involved with outreach efforts in the community. In the end, not only did we expand our family through adoption, we also expanded our family by becoming part of The Barker family! read more

We worked with Barker to adopt our son internationally. While adoption is not for the faint of heart (and anyone who expects it to be easy should do some research!), we always felt safe and supported with the team at Barker, even through stressful changes in law in our son's birth country that altered our process. I think one of the best parts about Barker is the community you become part of -- we met many other families in the DC area who have become close friends. We felt like we got a thorough education about adoption and seeing it from all perspectives, which has helped us become better parents. And we've attended picnics and trainings since that have been a great way to stay involved in the Barker community. I can't say this agency is the "fastest" or "easiest" route to adding to your family, but I can say they are ethical, supportive and 100 percent above-board in everything they do. And they care, about adoptive parents and more importantly, the children they place. For us, that's all that matters. If we adopt again someday, we will be back at Barker. read more

We can't say enough good things about The Barker Foundation, and specifically Tina Ji (the coordinator for the China program). We adopted our son in 2010. We left another adoption agency, CCAI, because of their long wait times and so we would be able to matched with our son. They were very helpful throughout the process of transferring agencies. The in-China support was great, and our guide in province was incredibly knowledgeable and sensitive. We adopted our daughter in January 2013. We had quite a few problems with our homestudy agency here in PA, and The Barker Foundation was able to help us get the mistakes cleaned up. Tina is incredibly intune to every family's individual needs. She offered to show us a child's file that didn't meet all of our family's medical requirements because she thought that child could be our daughter, and she is now! They also helped us coordinate travel for my Chinese in-laws to join us for part of our 2013 trip. The Barker Foundation is passionate about their commitment to children and families. read more

We selected Barker because they are compassionate towards everyone involved in an adoption, including the adopted child, birthparents, adoptive parents, and extended family members. Barker's classes and annual conference helped us to understand the type of adoption we wanted to pursue. The pregnancy counselor who reviewed our adoption album also guided us through our meeting our daughter's birthparents and was with us at the hospital when our daughter was born. We loved our homestudy/ post-placement social worker. Barker's adoption group for 2012 babies has provided us with a support network of other adoptive families. The staff at Barker continue to provide post-placement support. They also provide post-placement counseling for birthparents. The wait time for Barker, as with any credible adoption agency, depends on the type of child you are open to adopting, as well as factors such as the number of birthparents who choose an adoption plan after discussing their options with Barker pregnancy counselors. read more

We highly recommend the Barker Foundation. We successfully adopted through Barker in December 2015 and we could not be happier or more thankful to the agency for all the work, assistance and support they gave us throughout the process. They are all very professional, very respectful (even when you disagree with them in certain aspects) and very responsive. We believe that they take the process seriously and try to balance your wants/needs for a child with the happiness and wellbeing of children who long for and need stable and loving families. Adoption is a long and challenging process that perhaps is not for everyone. The process may feel long and overwhelming, even unfair at times when things are beyond your reach, but being at the other end of the process, with our daughter already in our family, we feel like every step/class/interview and requirement we had to go through was worth it and truly taught us and prepared us for the experience of becoming adoptive parents and welcome our baby into our family. read more

Our family pursued international adoption with Barker, and they have guided us smoothly and confidently through the entire process. My wife and I felt taken care of and guided through the complex adventure. They helped us through every question - and there were many! - with kindness and expertise. At first, the depth of detail required in the process was intimidating, but that apprehension soon dissipated with the various guides and checklists and one-on-one help through it all. At each step in the journey it reaffirmed our passion and desire to adopt. To go through this process with such organization and confidence would not have been possible without the help and support of Barker. I definitely recommend them as an adoption agency. Every person I worked with, whether directly for our application, or even administrative when calling in, was kind and helpful and respectful of every question and inquiry we had. Thank you! read more

I'm so surprised by the other review! We've had a wonderful experience at Barker. At a recent meeting there were probably around 22 families, but most of them were working in the out of area program so the number of birth mothers Barker is working with is irrelevant to most. After an info meeting we learned that Barker has something like 6 programs, and only one of those has a wait time that is effected by the number of birth mothers. That being said, it does matter to me personally that the staff is doing its best to find matches. When I inquired I learned that they have an extensive outreach program that has had a lot of success. Furthermore, they were very honest about how long it might take to get a match, what factors influence that, and what the fees would be. Again, I'm pretty surprised by the other review. I suppose there will always be someone eager to get on Yelp and leave a one-star review. read more

The first thing that impressed my husband and me about the Barker Foundation was its director, Marilyn Regier. She really knows what's going on with adoption, both nationally and worldwide! We heard her speak at an informational meeting about adoption and instantly knew we wanted to work with the Barker Foundation. We weren't disappointed. Everyone we worked with at Barker was knowledgeable, conscientious and compassionate. They guided us through each step of the adoption process with great professionalism, and they've continued to help our family even years after the adoption of our son has been completed. When we returned to Korea, Barker arranged for us to meet our son's social workers and foster mother at his Korean adoption agency. I'm glad to have a continuing connection to Barker: it's a great support and resource for all of us. read more

My wife and I worked with The Barker Foundation to help us adopt our son from South Korea. We had researched a couple agencies and decided to attend an orientation meeting after reading a couple reviews. Immediately we were encouraged by the staff members and the wealth of knowledge they provided us. Throughout the process we attended informational meetings, heard first hand experiences from other adoptive parents and engaged with experts on what to expect from adopted children. We also got to meet a lot of great families that had or were going through the same process as us. This was a great support group to have during such a important time of our lives. Though we went through some delays in the changes in Korean adoption laws, we couldn't be happier with the experience (and end result)from dealing with Barker. read more

We adopted two special needs boys (aged about 2) from China through Barker. Tina Ji (Barker's international coordinator) was wonderful. She and the rest of Barker's staff helped us throughout the process. I believe that Tina's connections in China really helped when it came time to select the children. Tina was a great help in filtering candidates and translating and interpreting medical documents. The China trip itself was a breeze thanks to the in-country hosts that Barker uses. Follow-up has been great - we really like our social worker. Barker's informational meetings both before and after the adoption are first-rate - don't miss them. We look forward to staying in contact with Barker for many years. read more

I could not be more pleased with the services of the Barker Adoption Foundation. I recently adopted two children working with their Project Wait No Longer, which is focused on adopting children from the US foster care system. The entire team provided thoughtful and relevant advice and insights as they guided me through the sometimes bureaucratic and confusing process. They were always available for questions and went the extra mile to make sure I had all the information I needed. I have found their training, seminars, and support groups to be well worth my time. I also very much appreciated the insights and advice of the social worker they provided as I went through the process. Thank you, Barker! read more

We had a wonderful experience with the Barker Foundation in their Korea program. The staff was very attentive, responsive, and always kept us informed. We felt like we were well taken care of during the entire process. One of the many reasons we chose Barker is for the vast array of post-adoptive services and support they offer. These include counseling, incredible conferences, support groups, etc. It is very reassuring for our family to know the agency is still supporting us even though we have had our daughter for almost 5 years. I could not recommend Barker more highly. read more

Barker Agency provided me with a great adoptive experience, from the first meeting to the finalization of my son's adoption. I had an experience with both the domestic program and Project Wait No Longer and they were both outstanding. My process took a little over two years, and that included a failed adoption (that wasn't their fault) and a switch to a different program internally. I would recommend them in a heartbeat to families that are seeking to grow their families through adoption. I am a real person and NOT an employee. read more

Barker is one of the oldest and best adoption agencies in the country. My spouse and I adopted through Barker (domestic) on 10/21/14 and received wonderful support throughout the entire process. I cannot tell you how wonderful Ann, Lisa, Cecilia, Bianchi, Kathie (probably others I'm forgetting) are as social workers. They truly care about adoption and all of those involved. Our experience with Barker has been amazing. They will forever be in our heart and our family. read more