It takes a long time to adopt. Once a child comes to live with you, you will have a trial period to make sure the child is a good fit with your family. Then you can proceed with adoption as soon as you are ready and the child's adoption counselor agrees.
Many people wait for years to adopt an infant through a private adoption agency.
But you may be able to adopt an older child or a child with special needs much more quickly through the state's adoption program. It is expensive to adopt a child. You have to be a foster parent first to adopt a child from foster care. For some families considering adoption, becoming a foster family first can be a good way to see how the family would adjust to a foster child. But parents may adopt without being foster parents.