Important program update
The Family Resource and Training Center wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to every one of you who has had such a caring heart for the youth we have served through this program for the past 10 years.
Please read the information below outlining how the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare plans to continue its diligent efforts to find permanency for all children in foster care in Idaho.
Please complete inquiries for any youth you are interested in as soon as possible so that we may process your inquiry before our website closes.
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
Dakoda, or Koda as he prefers, is an amazingly resilient teen who has overcome numerous challenges in his young life and describes himself as calm, confident, and someone who loves to encourage and help others when they’re struggling. This active guy’s favorite thing to do is to spend as much time as possible outdoors! Koda really enjoys riding bikes, skateboarding, swimming, and hiking. When he’s not outside getting his energy out, Koda loves to read fantasy novels; play video games; draw and watch anime. If you’re hanging out with Koda and looking for a place to grab lunch or a treat, you can’t go wrong with his favorites- root beer floats and BBQ Chicken pizza!
Koda is a driven young man with some big goals and a track record showing that he will do the work involved to meet those goals! He has already served in the Civil Air Patrol and is preparing himself for a career in the military after high School. Koda hopes to secure his pilot’s license and then serve in the Air National Guard. Along with having the military career he dreams of; Koda would also like to someday own a horse ranch where he can care for horses and eventually even teach his children and grandchildren to ride! Animals in general are an important part of Koda’s life, he loves spending time with them and finds that they help keep him feeling calm and centered.
Koda and his team are open to hearing from any family who feels they may be a good match for him. He hopes to have a brother or sister and aside from that, just wants to be a part of a loving and happy family. A family with a strong understanding of trauma and of meeting the needs of kids who come from hard places would be a perfect fit for Koda. Parents who possess patience, a calm demeanor, and the ability to model for him and help him to use the coping skills he’s mastering would be a great match! Ideally, Koda’s new family will reside in Idaho, or neighboring states, and will support him in maintaining connections with some of his biological family members and other important people in his life who live in the area. If you feel you can provide Koda with the lifetime commitment he longs for and the support he needs to get a great, positive start on young adulthood so that he can make all of his dreams come true, we would love to hear from you. Follow the steps below!
The Idaho Wednesday's Child Program prioritizes the safety and security of children, above all else. In an effort to protect the safety of the youth we serve, our process requires families to possess a current, approved adoption home study. Only families with a current home study can view youth's full profiles with videos and photos and submit inquiries, on the Secure Gallery Page.