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Helping Colleagues Grow Their Families with Adoption Support and Benefits

For the 17th consecutive year, Citizens has been ranked as one of the top 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption based on the following criteria:

    1. Financial reimbursement
    2. Paid leave for adoption
    3. Percentage of colleagues eligible for the benefit

We’re proud of the recognition for the support, care, and resources we provide colleagues when they begin their parenthood journey.

Adoption Financial Reimbursement

Paid Leave for Adoption

Get more than $25,000 toward eligible expenses and fees for public/private agency adoptions, independent adoptions and domestic/international adoptions
  • Parental leave policy, with six weeks of 100% paid parental leave in addition to PTO
  • A flexible culture that’s supportive of all caregivers encouraging collaboration with managers to discuss a schedule that meets the colleague’s needs

David’s Journey from Foster Parent to Adoption

David, a Senior Digital Channel Management Partner, shares how Citizens and his team supported his journey to parenthood.

My wife Shira and I explored the idea of fostering to adopt. We went through the proper classes and discussions with case workers to become foster parents. We were told it’s a roller coaster of a process, and we’d been going through it for about a year when we got a call about a possible match of a four-year-old boy named Jaxson. The catch was, he needed to be placed with us the following week.

Citizens came in the second we got off the phone call. Suddenly we had an avalanche of things to get done - emotions you’re carrying and things you need to get done on a professional level. I reached out to my manager, Jeff, and he got me in contact with Citizens HR. Our case manager, Valerie, worked with me right away. She was so congratulatory and happy for us – and we’d never met before. In a moment of excitement and panic, to have someone that’s going to help you get it done with confidence and enthusiasm was crucial for me. She helped explain the paternity time and how it could be taken a number of ways, which was really helpful. I started using my paid leave when we first began fostering Jaxson to help him adjust to our family, a new school, and a new way of life. The fact that Citizens and my manager were so flexible with how I spent that time was a huge stress reliever.

My brain was split between what needs to be done at home and what needs to be done at work. My team was instrumental in supporting me during this pivotal time in my life. My manager has children, so he was able to empathize. We still talk about our children during 1:1 meetings. I turned to one of my web strategy teammates and asked him how he balanced it all - being a full-time employee with your professional life, being a dad for the first time, and not losing your sense of who you are. He has older children and he helped address some of the thoughts I had. Knowing that he was there, and I could rely on him for guidance, was so helpful.

I appreciate the flexibility our culture allows. My wife and I are both working full-time and there are things we can plan for with school schedules, and things that come up unexpectedly. To have a work environment that understands your professional and your personal life can co-exist is so important.

Our journey to expand our family was not the path we thought we’d take when we discussed kids. There have been so many ups and downs, but it was comforting to know that Citizens was there in whatever capacity I needed.

When our daughter, Eliana, was born this year, going on my paternity leave was seamless. I really saw how dedicated Citizens is to making sure parents get the time off to bond with their kids. It gives you peace of mind that you usually don’t get during this chapter in your life.

My advice for anyone thinking of fostering to adopt is – do it. You might feel like you are being thrown into the deep end, but looking back now, I realize that everyone surrounding us were also thrown in at the same time. At the time, I thought it was only my wife and I, but looking back, I realized we were all in it together, suddenly becoming grandparents, uncles, aunts, and family friends to a 4 year old.

Also, talk to other people about your choice to foster or adopt. The more I talked to people, the more stories came out of the woodwork, and I realized that we weren’t alone.

It has been a crazy couple of years. If you had told us that we were eventually going to foster, and then adopt a 4 year old, and then 3 weeks after his adoption, we’d find out that we were expecting, we probably wouldn’t have believed you. Jaxson lost his first tooth with us, went to hibachi for the first time with us, started kindergarten with us, and became a big brother with us. Every day, we want to make sure he’s living his best life. The universe has a mysterious way of putting you on the path that you always wanted to be on.

We recognize life’s journey is different for each of us. Learn more about our benefits so you can be your best self, personally and professionally. Our Caring for Citizens Business Resource Group supports working parents and caregivers through innovative services, resources and programs, creating a community where colleagues learn from one another and connect on shared life experiences, including foster and adoption experiences.