<p>My wife and I were in our 50s when we adopted two of our biological grand children when they were removed from their home. We are now both 68 with one of them in college and the other one a senior in high school. We were kind of dumb about a lot of things and only thinking about the welfare of the kids. The court just placed them with us but we weren't foster parents. They didn't want us to go through the normal adoption process so they talked the kids parents and us into a private adoption. We didn't think much about how old we would be when the kids started collage. My wife is retired and not really able to work outside the home and I am self employed and in the process of slowing down. Is there any special help for someone in our place? I know that we made the choices that we did and we will make it somehow but I don't want to overlook something. I've found some help if we had been foster parents but not with a private adoption. I really feel that the courts and child care agencies played us for a couple of fools. We love the kids and don't regret doing what we did but would be a little wiser now.</p>
<p>It is wonderful that you have these grandchildren as your own. There are pluses to NOT being in the foster care system…and personally I think those outweigh the financial aid advantage these kids would have in the foster system.</p>
<p>Was there ANY time prior to the adoption but after age 13 that these kids were in legal guardianship?</p>
<p>Oldfather, I can’t help you but I do want to tell you how much I admire you and your wife for adopting and taking on the responsibility (both emotional and financial) for your biological grandchildren. If there aren’t any scholarships for you, there should be!!! Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with Thumper. One of my sisters is a Director of a foster care agency and you wouldn’t have wanted that much intrusion in your life on a weekly basis. Once you adopted, the kids were yours and the state butted out of your business.</p>
<p>Ok…you have one in college now. How is that getting paid for? </p>
<p>there really isn’t “special help” for your situation other than whatever aid you’d qualify for if the kids were your bio children (rather than bio grandchildren). </p>
<p>Did your older child file FAFSA? If so, what was the EFC? When the second child goes to college, if there are two in college at the same time, the EFC will split. (however, since you’re self-employed, I suspect that the EFC is too high for federal aid)</p>
<p>Is the older child commuting to college? going to a CC? living at a state univ or private univ? What is that situation?</p>
<p>What state are you in?</p>
<p>If the younger student has strong stats, then perhaps he/she can apply to schools that will give large merit for stats. </p>
<p>You may have to continue working until they’re thru college to help pay for everything. Can your retired wife help you at all with your business? doing paperwork or something from home?? anything to help out?</p>
<p>bless you for taking these kids in.</p>
<p>I have worked with foster kids and families before- plenty that ended up with grandparents- you absolutely did the right thing, do not even give that a second thought. </p>
<p>m2ck gave excellent advice.</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids has given you a good list of items to consider. I also think there is nothing wrong with writing a letter of explanation to the financial aid office at the colleges they apply to explaining the situation to them – about the adoption, it being late in life, your wife being retired (does she have a health problem that keep her from working? If so, mention that as well), and that you are near retiring.</p>