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
Meet Jonathan, a wonderful boy who is in need of a Forever Home! Jonathan is a sweet boy who loves playing outdoors, finding bugs, playing in the water and jumping on the trampoline. He will always be up for sitting down to watch Toy Story or the Buzz Lightyear movie with you and afterwards he just might ask you to read him one of his favorite books-the kind that make fun noises! Jonathan loves to help out in the kitchen, especially if you’re making his favorite meal of hotdogs and noodles! Once the meal is done, you can count on him to want to help with rinsing the dishes. Jonathan is a loving, funny, endearing and inquisitive young man who has some significant developmental needs and struggles with his speech, however he loves to communicate with those around him in other ways such as playing together, singing and cuddling! Jonathan’s teachers report that they adore him and describe him as energetic, upbeat and engaging.
The ideal fit for Jonathan will be a 2-parent family who resides in the Treasure Valley area; however his team is also open to hearing from families who reside elsewhere in Idaho that feel they may be a great fit for him. Jonathan needs a family who can meet him where he’s at developmentally and provide the patient and loving assistance he requires with many of his daily living skills, while also helping him to learn, grow and reach his full potential. A family who will remain committed to his need for several community-based supports and who can be a strong educational advocate for him will be an excellent match! Johnathan has a twin sister, Page, who he is very bonded and attached to. The right family for Johnathan will need to stay committed to nurturing that relationship after adoption.
If you’re a family who possesses the skills Johnathan’s team is searching for and you believe that you can truly embrace, love and support him, 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.