Important program update
The Family Resource and Training Center’s Idaho Wednesday’s Child program has concluded after 10 years of service.
We are deeply grateful to the youth, families, professionals, and community partners who have been part of this work.
For current information about adoption from foster care in Idaho, please visit the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare .
July 28, 2026
To Our Community Partners,
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare has been proud to partner with Eastern Washington University (EWU) and other community partners to recruit adoptive families for Idaho’s children in foster care. Since Idaho’s Wednesday’s Child began over 25 years ago, the landscape of adoption from foster care has changed yet there continues to be a need for child-specific recruitment for youth most in-need of a permanent home. Over the years the department has reorganized how permanency cases are managed to address this need and to achieve timely permanency for children who cannot return home. These changes include permanency workers “teaming” earlier with family services workers and the addition of a Family Find team to help identify previously unknown relatives and connections for our youth in care. Meanwhile, advances in technology and social media have resulted in increased risks related to public profiles causing Idaho and other states to consider the long-term impact to the youth featured.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare is in a position to innovate practices for child-specific recruitment while demonstrating fiscal responsibility. With this in mind, the contract for Wednesday’s Child, Waiting Families and intensive recruitment services is ending effective 09/30/2026. These services will be provided through Youth Safety & Permanency team members beginning October 1, 2026. During this transition, the current website for Idaho Wednesday’s Child will be unavailable while an updated website is created for both our waiting children and waiting families. Idaho will continue to use the AdoptUSKids website during the transition to ensure ongoing efforts to achieve permanency for waiting children.
Thank you for your continued support and advocacy on behalf of Idaho’s children.
Thank you,
Jean M. Fisher
Our Legacy
For 10 years, Idaho Wednesday’s Child worked alongside the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, families, professionals, and community partners to support child-specific recruitment efforts for youth in foster care across Idaho.
As this chapter closes, we are proud of the impact of that work and grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will continue permanency and adoption services for children in Idaho foster care.
For current information, resources, and next steps, please visit the Department’s website.
Visit Idaho Department of Health & WelfareA Decade of Impact
From February 2016 through February 2026, Idaho Wednesday’s Child supported child-specific media recruitment efforts for youth across Idaho.
Referrals by region:
Stay Connected
While Idaho Wednesday’s Child has concluded, there are still many ways to support children and families involved in foster care.
Fostering Idaho Partnership connects foster families with resources, support, and opportunities to strengthen the foster care community across Idaho.
Explore Fostering Idaho PartnershipWith Gratitude
Idaho Wednesday’s Child was built through relationships, collaboration, and a shared commitment to helping children and youth find permanency.
To our Idaho Wednesday’s Child team, Department partners, social workers, photographers, videographers, media partners, businesses, volunteers, donors, foster and adoptive families, and community organizations across Idaho: thank you.
Your time, talents, resources, and care helped make this work possible and supported youth and families throughout the state.
Most importantly, we are grateful to the young people who trusted us to share pieces of their lives, personalities, hopes, and dreams.
It has been an honor to serve alongside you for the past 10 years.