Our History

Children’s Home Societies were first established in the United States in the latter part of the 19^th century to address the needs of increasing numbers of orphaned children, particularly in populous areas such as New York City. As orphaned children were sent across the United States on the now-famous orphan trains, Children’s Home Societies began to expand into the American Midwest and Rocky Mountain states.

The Wyoming Children’s Home Society was founded in 1911 to serve single mothers at a time when social mores denounced unmarried motherhood. For many years, the Society functioned as an orphanage and unwed mothers’ home. With the advent of foster care, the Society closed the orphanage and focused on providing services to unwed mothers and facilitating infant adoptions. At that time, the agency’s name was changed to the Wyoming Children’s Society.

As the nature of adoption practice changed, the services of the Wyoming Children’s Society evolved as well. Today, the Society provides an array of services, including birth parent options counseling and support; infant, waiting child and inter-country adoption services; and public education to professionals through the Infant Adoption Training Initiative. The Wyoming Children’s Society is certified by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation as a full-service agency facilitating the adoption of Russian children by American families. The Society maintains an office and staff in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Wyoming Children’s Society is the oldest non-profit statewide adoption agency in Wyoming with a proven history and sterling reputation for integrity and ethical standards. The Society is licensed by the Wyoming Department of Family Services, and is one of the 24 member agencies of the Children’s Home Society of America.