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Becoming a Family: How Etsy Supports Foster Care Adoption

When Chelsea, a Sr. Director of Impact & Sustainability at Etsy, Inc., and her partner decided to become foster parents, they opened their hearts and home to children most in need. After receiving their foster care license, the couple was introduced to two young children who had lingered in the foster care system for years.  

After more than a year of fostering, Chelsea and her partner adopted the kids in 2019. The stability of a forever family gave Chelsea’s daughters the safety and support they needed to grow.  

Through her employer, Chelsea was able to take six months of parental leave to transition into her new role as a mom. The time off also allowed her family to bond and establish a routine that worked best for them.  

Chelsea and her children on a trip

“The continued support we receive from Etsy is invaluable, from working in a culture that values parenthood to the inclusive childcare benefits that work for all shapes of families.”  

Etsy’s robust adoption benefits program, which includes 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave for all genders for birth, adoption or fostering of a new child, earned the organization a spot on the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s 2023 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list.

“We recognize the unique financial challenge when adopting and offer a benefit to help financially support employees pursuing adoption,” said Kim Seymour, Chief Human Resources Officer. “We’ve consistently found that these offerings are not only good for people, they are good for business: they help employees thrive while enabling us to recruit, develop and retain our world-class workforce.”  

Congratulations, Etsy, Inc., for being recognized as a 2023 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace! Start the adoption benefits conversation in your organization by downloading the Foundation’s free Adoption-Friendly Workplace toolkit. 

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