Idaho Parents Unlimited

Idaho Parents Unlimited Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc. supports, empowers, educates and advocates to enhance the quality of life for Idahoans with disabilities and their families.

IPUL’s CANS Core Concepts series continues this week by answering the question: what are predictive strenghts?In the CAN...
04/24/2026

IPUL’s CANS Core Concepts series continues this week by answering the question: what are predictive strenghts?

In the CANS framework, there are six key “predictive strengths”, also called PC FIRE, that are strongly linked to better outcomes for youth. When youth develop four or more of these strengths, they experience about a 60% reduction in needs. That’s compared to just 31% for youth who don’t have these strengths in place.

The six key strenghts are: peer influences, coping skills, family, interpersonal skills, resilience, and educational setting.

Stay tuned each week as we break down the CANS in simple, family-friendly ways so you can feel confident navigating your child’s care.
To learn more about the CANS and to read the Youth Empowerment Services Practice Manual, visit the YES website at https://yes.idaho.gov/

IPUL decided to hop on the trend! Click on the photos to learn more about our team in the captions.
04/24/2026

IPUL decided to hop on the trend! Click on the photos to learn more about our team in the captions.

🖍️ START DESIGNING NOW!✨ Theme: You Belong in This StoryStudents across Idaho, this is your time to start creating your ...
04/23/2026

🖍️ START DESIGNING NOW!

✨ Theme: You Belong in This Story

Students across Idaho, this is your time to start creating your sticker design today.

💭 Think about:
• What does belonging feel like?
• What helps you on hard days?
• What would you want others to know about mental health?

📅 Submissions OPEN May 1st
🎨 But you can start designing RIGHT NOW

🔗 Templates + full details can be found on our website at ipulidaho.org

Calling all: school counselors, administrators, behavioral interventionists, special education teachers and school suppo...
04/21/2026

Calling all: school counselors, administrators, behavioral interventionists, special education teachers and school support staff!

When a family hands you a Child Adolescent Needs Strengths (CANS) tool from their child's community provider, do you know what to do with it?

If you're a school counselor, behavior interventionist, or administrator supporting students with serious emotional needs this FREE training was built for you.

Behind the Assessment: What Educators Need to Know
📅 May 5 | 12:30–2:00 PM MT
📍 In-person in Boise or Zoom

You'll leave with a strong understaing of the CANS, what the ratings actually mean, and how to use a student's identified strengths and needs to inform accommodations and support planning. Including accommodations in a 504 or an IEP.

The CANS experts will be in the room with us from TCOM! Come with questions.

👉 Register here (scroll down for the form!): https://ipulidaho.org/news/behind-the-assessment/

Quick question: If YOU could put anything on a sticker about feelings, kindness, or belonging…What would it say?💬 A phr...
04/20/2026

Quick question: If YOU could put anything on a sticker about feelings, kindness, or belonging…

What would it say?

💬 A phrase?
💚 A message?
🎨 A drawing idea?

🎉The IPUL Mental Health Awareness Sticker Contest is LIVE!

• Design period: happening NOW
• Submissions open: May 1
• Winners announced: May 29

🔗 Templates + full details can be found on our website at ipulidaho.org

**Tomorrow is the Public Hearing.**Families—your voice is needed!The Idaho Infant Toddler Program (ITP) is proposing upd...
04/20/2026

**Tomorrow is the Public Hearing.**

Families—your voice is needed!

The Idaho Infant Toddler Program (ITP) is proposing updates to its eligibility criteria. These changes would impact which infants and toddlers qualify for early intervention services across Idaho.

The intent of the proposal is to focus services on children with the highest levels of developmental need and ensure resources are used effectively. However, changes like this can have real impacts on families, and parent voices must be part of the conversation.

This proposal was recently posted through the state’s town hall process and may not be widely known yet. You have the opportunity to review the proposal and share your input:

👉 https://townhall.idaho.gov/PublicMeeting/8042

Why your input matters:

These decisions affect access to early supports during critical developmental years
Family experiences help shape better, more responsive systems
Public comment can influence how (or if) these changes move forward

How to participate:

Visit the link above
Review the proposed changes
Submit your comments or concerns

IPUL encourages families, caregivers, and professionals to take a few minutes to share their perspective. Your lived experience is powerful and necessary. If ITP ever helped your child, please consider sharing that experience.

If you have questions or want support in understanding how this may impact your family, please reach out. We’re here to help. 💙



(image is blue background with two bullhorns. image reads: FAMILIES—
YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED!

THE IDAHO INFANT TODDLER PROGRAM (ITP) IS PROPOSING UPDATES TO ITS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. THESE CHANGES WOULD IMPACT WHO QUALIFIES FOR EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES ACROSS IDAHO.

We encourage families, caregivers, and professionals to take a few minutes to share their perspective. Your lived experience is powerful and necessary.

IDAHO PARENTS UNLIMITED INC.
Engage • Educate • Bridge • Lead)

IPUL’s CANS Core Concepts series continues this week by answering an important question families often ask: How is a CAN...
04/17/2026

IPUL’s CANS Core Concepts series continues this week by answering an important question families often ask: How is a CANS completed?

The Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths is an informational tool that is used to gather and interpret information. It is about what is going on with the youth and family, not why it is happening. CANS items are not asked as individual questions, but used as conversation starters which helps youth and feel comfortable and supported.

Stay tuned each week as we break down the CANS in simple, family-friendly ways so you can feel confident navigating your child’s care. To learn more about the CANS and to read the Youth Empowerment Services Practice Manual, visit the YES website at https://yes.idaho.gov/

We loved connecting with parents, educators, and special education directors in Post Falls, Sandpoint, and Bonners Ferry...
04/16/2026

We loved connecting with parents, educators, and special education directors in Post Falls, Sandpoint, and Bonners Ferry Monday and Tuesday. We had a great turnout in all locations, and can't wait to see how these new partnerships help improve outcomes for our kids with disabilities in Idaho.

We’re Hiring! 🚨Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) is looking for a Youth Activities Coordinator & Social Media Content Creat...
04/15/2026

We’re Hiring! 🚨

Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) is looking for a Youth Activities Coordinator & Social Media Content Creator to work out of the Boise office.

This role is a great fit for someone who enjoys working with youth, is creative, passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth with disabilities and has a creative eye for social media and storytelling.

For full details and how to apply, visit our website:
https://ipulidaho.org/jobs/youth-activities-coordinator-and-social-media-content-creator-boise/


(Image is a blue background, IPUL logo, with a green stripe. There are 4 chairs. Image reads: We are hiring Youth Activities Coordinator/Content Creator.)

💚May is Mental Health Awareness Month 💚, a time to reduce stigma and remind every young person that their feelings matte...
04/15/2026

💚May is Mental Health Awareness Month 💚, a time to reduce stigma and remind every young person that their feelings matter and they are NOT alone. IPUL, believes that one of the most powerful ways to do that is by lifting up youth voice… and turning it into something visible, shareable, and impactful.

🎉We are excited to annouce that the IPUL Mental Health Awareness Sticker Contest is LIVE

✨ Theme: “You Belong in This Story” ✨

This is more than a contest, it’s a chance for students to express their voice, their feelings, and their story through art.

📅 Key Dates:
• Design period: happening NOW
• Submissions open: May 1
• Winners announced: May 29

One winner from each age range (elementary, middle, and high school) will be selected. Winning designs will be turned into REAL stickers shared across Idaho schools, and public agencies! Winners will also have the chance to win a special prize.

🖍️ Students across Idaho it’s time to create!

💡 Need ideas? Here’s how different age groups can think about their design:

Elementary (K–5):
Draw what feelings look like or what it means to belong
Examples:
• “It’s okay to feel sad, mad, or scared”
• “Name it to tame it"

Middle School (6–8):
Show that big emotions are part of everyone’s story
Examples:
• “You’re not the only one who feels this way”
• “It’s okay to not be okay”

High School (9–12):
Focus on mental health awareness, resilience, and speaking up
Examples:
• “Your feelings are real”
• “You are not alone”
• “Mental health is health”

A few important design tips:
✔️ Keep it original (no copyrighted characters or logos)
✔️ Keep words simple and easy to read
✔️ Think small — designs should fit in a 3” circle
✔️ Make it appropriate for all ages

🔗 Templates + full details can be found on our website at ipulidaho.org

A blue promotional graphic with white and black elements.In the top left corner is the Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc. log...
04/14/2026

A blue promotional graphic with white and black elements.

In the top left corner is the Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc. logo. The logo features a circular blue emblem with three white human figures (an adult on each side holding hands with a child in the center), surrounded by radiating white lines like a sunburst. Beneath the circle is a rectangular banner with the text:
“IDAHO PARENTS UNLIMITED INC.”
Below that, in smaller text:
“Engage + Educate + Bridge + Lead”

On the left side of the image, there is a solid black silhouette of the state of Idaho.

On the right side, in large white stylized text, it reads:
“IT’S COMING……”

Below that:
“IDAHO GIVES”

Further down:
“SAVE THE DATE!”

At the bottom:
“MAY 4 – MAY 7, 2026”

A promotional graphic from Idaho Parents Unlimited. The background is primarily blue with a large light gray oval at the...
04/11/2026

A promotional graphic from Idaho Parents Unlimited. The background is primarily blue with a large light gray oval at the top and a bright yellow-green section below. In the top left corner is the Idaho Parents Unlimited logo, showing two stylized human figures inside a circular emblem, with the words:
IDAHO PARENTS UNLIMITED INC. and the tagline “Engage + Educate + Bridge + Lead.

IPUL is accepting applications for Board Members in all regions
Be a Champion for Idaho Families!
Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children with disabilities and their families?
Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) is looking for dedicated, enthusiastic leaders to join our Board of Directors!
Why Serve on the IPUL Board?” followed by three question mark icons.
Serving on the IPUL Board is more than a role; it’s an opportunity to lead change, elevate family voices, and shape the future of services and supports across Idaho. Our board members are champions who actively promote our mission, uplift our community, and help expand our reach and impact.

Next section header reads:
“Who We’re Looking For:” followed by an eye emoji.

Text underneath:
“We are seeking individuals who:
Believe deeply in family leadership and empowerment
Are excited to promote IPUL, its programs, and its people
Have a strong desire to support fundraising and sustainability efforts
Want to be part of a mission-driven, high-impact organization”

Another section header reads:
“Important Requirement:” followed by two exclamation mark icons.

Text underneath:
“To ensure an authentic family voice and leadership, at least 51% of IPUL Board Members must be parents of children with disabilities under age 26. Your lived experience is not just valuable, it’s essential.”

Next line reads:
“Board member positions will be available in all regions – apply today!”

At the bottom left, there is a white speech-bubble shape with blue text that says:
“Apply Now!”

“https://ipulidaho.org/board-of-directors/”

Address

4619 Emerald, Suite E
Boise, ID
83706

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12083425884

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Idaho Parents Unlimited posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share