Wantagh's Thanksgiving 'Baby Hope' to be Adopted

On Thanksgiving morning, a three-hour-old baby girl was left at the Wantagh Fire Department headquarters. Now, the Nassau County Department of Social Services is looking for a family for her.

The girl, named Baby Girl Hope, was left at the fire house with her umbilical cord still attached. Under the Safe Haven law, mothers can leave newborn babies up to 3o days old at designated areas with no legal repercussions, so long as the baby is unharmed. In Nassau County, fire houses, police stations, hospitals, and even ambulances, are all Safe Haven sites.

DSS has received hundreds of calls from people interested in being adoptive parents for Baby Girl Hope. The department is exploring waiting and certified Nassau County DSS families who are interested in Safe Haven babies and, from those waiting parents, one will be selected for Baby Girl Hope.

The story of Baby Girl Hope prompted County Executive Edward Mangano to issue a call to residents interested in serving as foster and adoptive families to contact DSS and register for the MAPP Program (Modified Approach to Partnership in Parenting), one of New York State’s requirements for being considered as a Foster and Adoptive Family, as well as having a background check and a home assessment.

“Becoming a foster and adoptive family can be such a rewarding experience and gives infants and older children the opportunity to become part of a Forever Family,” Mangano said.

Anyone interested in becoming a Foster and Adoptive Family should call DSS staff Judith Josefsberg at 227-8284 or Alison Hawley at 227-8291.