UNDATED - November is National Adoption Month, and while the Indiana Department of Child Services is reporting a drop in total yearly adoptions for the first time in at least 8 years, officials believe this is just a bump in the road for kids still in the foster system.

The Indiana DCS reports 1,577 Hoosier children have been adopted so far in 2020. It is a drop from 2019's 1,967 children adopted in the state.

Officials say in-person court COVID-19 restrictions were a factor in the drop, but not a hindrance.

DCS employees adjusted their pre-adoption process to health recommendations, which meant a hybrid of in-person and virtual home visits with masks, social distancing, and extra hygiene precautions. Indiana DCS officials say the process may have taken longer for some families, but it kept adoptions from falling through for pandemic-related reasons.