Forget that old saw about March going out like a lion because December is going out with a big, big bang: Seven more adoption agencies have received their accreditations!

I got a call yesterday from Kathy Burul, director of the Russia program at Teaneck, N.J.-based Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services, that it had been invited to pick up its certificate at the Ministry of Education today. She couldn't have sounded happier if she had tried.

The latest group, all dated December 24, includes two agencies from the United States and one agency from Finland and two each from Italy and Spain. Here's who's going to be making the trip to the MoE today, in alphabetical order:

Adozione Internazionale of Italy
Asociacion Nacional de Acogida Infantil, based in Valencia, Spain
Associació Créixer Junts, which is also known as Asociación Balear de Adopción Internacional
Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services of Teaneck, New Jersey
New Hope Christian Services of Rumney, New Hampshire
Pelastakaa Lapset of Finland
S.O.S. Bambino of Vicenza, Italy

The new certificates are numbered 373 to 380, although number 377 is missing. Also missing from this list is Little Miracles International Adoption of Texas, which told me--as I noted in the previous post on accreditations, that its paperwork had been signed and that it would be allowed to pick it up before the end of the year. And I remain perplexed as to why some of the biggest U.S. adoption agencies, organizations like Bethany Christian Services and Buckner International Adoption have yet to get their new licenses.

The December 24 accreditations bring to 28 the number of U.S.-based agencies that have been re-licensed. Here they are, and a very merry Christmas to them all:

Adopt-A-Child, Inc.
Adoption Associates, Inc.
Adoptions Together, Inc.
Alliance for Children
Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, Inc.
Children's Home Society and Family Services
Children's Hope International
Children of the World Adoption Agency, Inc.
Christian World Adoption
Cradle of Hope Adoption Center
Cradle Society
Creative Adoptions, Inc.
European Adoption Consultants
Family and Children's Agency
Frank Adoption Center
Florence Crittenton League of Lowell
Gift of Life Adoption Services
Gladney Center for Adoption
Happy Families International Center
Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS)
International Assistance Group
Life Adoption Services, Inc.
Maine Adoption Placement Services (MAPS)
New Hope Christian Services
Small World Adoption Foundation of Missouri, Inc.
Wide Horizons for Children
World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP)
Wyoming Children’s Society

Image credit: rmontiel85 at Morguefile.com