Welcome back to Unlimited Parenting. This is
a podcast where we talk about what it's like
having children with disabilities and or special
healthcare needs. With me today is me. That's
right, it's just me here in this lonely podcast
studio, just Allison, but there's enough to talk
about for three people. I am here to talk about
what's new with iPoll. As you may or may not
have noticed, the calendar has turned over. Ladies
and gentlemen, it is a new year. 2026 has knocked
on the door, and whether we liked it or not,
we let him in. And here he is. So I don't know
why it's a man. I don't know, but it's a man.
So this year, we want to get started with our
very first podcast telling you what's new with
iPoll. And if you're new here, iPoll stands for
Idaho Parents Unlimited. We are the state's parent
training and information center. We are the state's
family -to -family health information center.
We support the state of Idaho through the Resource
Services Administration grant, supporting children
in transition to adulthood. And now, drumroll
please, we are introducing something exciting
and important that builds directly onto the work
that EIPL has been doing for decades. I hope
you're hooked because I'm not telling you what
it is right away. You're gonna have to stick
around and wait. If you are not new here and
you've been connected with iPoll for a while,
you already know a few things. Most specifically
that iPoll exists to make sure families and youth
don't have to figure things out alone. We are
at no cost to provide information, resources,
trainings by people who have walked in your shoes.
Everyone here at Idaho Parents Unlimited has
either a child or a family member who has lived
experience with disabilities. For years, Idaho
Parents Unlimited has provided parent education
and training, individualized support and navigation,
youth leadership opportunities, skills that youth
can use to go out and get their first job and
keep a job advocacy with education and health
care connection real connection to lived experts
people who get it people who have walked in your
shoes it's at the heart of everything that we
do is lived experience so having said that what's
new that's old quit telling me all the old stuff
2026 is here what's new Wow, you've waited so
patiently, three minutes exactly. IPAL has been
awarded the Youth Empowerment Services Advocacy
Education and Support Contract through the Idaho
Department of Health and Welfare. This will allow
us to expand and deepen the support that we already
provide to youth with serious emotional disturbance
and their families. And here's the really key
thing to know, that this isn't exactly a brand
new direction for us. It's a natural extension
of what iPoll has already been doing. You've
already been calling us to ask us to help navigate
this. Now we're just gonna broaden and deepen
that scope. The Yes system of care, again, that
was youth empowerment services, so children's
behavioral health. The S -System of Care is built
off of principles designed to coordinate services
across systems like schools, behavioral health
providers, and community supports. And if that
sounds familiar, that's because that's a lot
of what the Children's Developmental Disability
Program is doing. That's a lot of what you're
already involved in with the schools, with IEPs,
504s, and coordinating teams this way. So again,
this is aligning perfectly with what IPOL has
always done. and will always continue to do,
which is help families understand systems, advocate
effectively, and maybe even most importantly,
not feel so alone. So what is this actually going
to look like boots on the ground? What does this
mean for families? So through this yes contract,
IPOL is going to now offer expanded support and
activities as well as more new and improved trainings,
specifically to four different audiences. For
youth, their parents or caregivers, community
stakeholders, and even providers. This is going
to include support groups designed specifically
for caregivers of youth with serious emotional
disturbance, SED, or behavioral health needs,
and youth -centered support spaces. that are
meant to be less educational and more connection
-based. Additionally, education that helps families
understand the yes system of care, services,
transitions between different levels of care,
transitioning to adulthood, and help navigating
difficult moments like maybe hospital discharge
or residential transitions. And just like everything
else iPoll does, it's going to be at no cost
to you. It's going to be family driven. It's
going to be strengths based. And it's going to
be provided to you by someone who has lived experience
through these systems. So just to start it right
off the bat, iPoll is going to be providing a
parent caregiver connection group that will be
meeting. And I use the term meeting in the virtual
sense. We'll be meeting virtually. On the last
Tuesday of every month, from 5 p .m. to 6 p .m.,
and that is in the mountain time zone. We recognize
that the state of Idaho has two time zones, so
just want to make it clear that this is in the
mountain time zone. And if there is some interest
in having it be later, as always, we'd be happy
to adapt and change to any feedback that we receive.
Youth Connection Group will meet on the last
Wednesday. of every month from 4 p .m. to 5 p
.m. again virtually and that 4 to 5 p .m. is
in the mountain time zone. You can look for more
information on this on our website and you will
also find information on Facebook so watch out
for our updates because in addition to those
connection activities we will also be providing
informational trainings. I think that this is
important to know that families don't have to
start over. If you've already reached out to
iPoll in the past, you're still gonna be getting
that support that we've always provided to you,
just now layered with yes -related education
and resources, and new advocacy support on navigating
behavioral health systems and new youth leadership
opportunities. Everything that you've always
loved about iPoll historically is now just being
amplified through a new system of service. Because
we've said it before, you've heard it before,
we're not trying to silo, we're trying to support,
we're trying to extend our reach. Because families
often tell us that the hardest part isn't just
finding services, which we also recognize is
hard, but it's also understanding them, coordinating
them, and then knowing what to do next. because
all systems of care, not just the yes system
of care, can feel overwhelming. So it's nice
to know that you can reach out to someone at
Idaho Parents Unlimited whose role is to walk
alongside families, help to translate the system,
and remind you that you're not alone and your
voice matters. So aside from the yes, the Youth
Empowerment Services Education Advocacy and Support
contract, We also just want to say there's some
other new fun, exciting things that are happening
in this first quarter of 2026. So that's January,
February, March. You may already know that we
offer quarterly IEP 101 trainings. We just finished
one in January. It was very well attended, our
highest attended training yet. And there was
lots of great feedback and great questions. So
if you're listening to this, coming hot off the
heels of that training, we thank you very much.
We're taking that feedback moving forward. The
next one, the next quarterly IEP 101, you can
catch on April 9th from 6 .30 to 7 .30. Again,
that's in the Mountain Time Zone, provided virtually.
What if your old hat at IEP 101 and your child's
been in the IEP system for a while? What about
secondary IEP training? We heard you and we created
that for you as well. That's coming on February
12th. Watch out on Facebook and our website.
That's ipollidaho .org for more information.
My Tools for Life is happening again this year
as it does every year. It's a youth conference
and it will be held in Boise more specifically
at Boise State University which is very exciting
because historically it was held at the riverside.
So the fact that it's at Boise State is going
to be super exciting for the youth this year.
That is taking place on February 23rd. More information
to come about that. and the annual Fred Riggers
Disability Awareness Day at the Capitol. This
year is taking place on February 4th, and it
is starting at 10 a .m. I hear a little birdie
told me that there might be a super cool exhibit
for you to see. So if you have been in years
past and you're wondering, my goodness, what
are they doing this year? Let me tell you what,
it's gonna be super new and super exciting. If
you want to learn more about iPoll's Yes System
of Care supports or upcoming support groups and
training or how to get connected, again, visit
our website or reach out directly because we're
always here to help. If you remember any part
of 2025, you may remember that Idaho Parents
Unlimited provided regular legislative updates
to the community, specifically regarding things
that impacted health care or education. In 2026,
you can also look forward to Idaho Parents Unlimited
continuing their legislative season recaps. Those
will be provided to you on Thursdays as they
were last year. As you may remember, Idaho Parents
Unlimited follows the Health Committees, the
Health and Welfare Committee, as well as the
Education Committees in both the Senate and the
House. And we also follow JFAC. So if you hear
JFAC, think budgets. You can find those regular
updates weekly as well as in our weekly e -news.
Thank you so much everyone out there for listening
in and know that if you are in Idaho or planning
on moving to Idaho and have questions on systems
or services for children with disabilities, please
consider reaching out to us on our website at
iPoll Idaho. That's I -P -U -L Idaho .org. or
by calling us at 208 -342 -5884. Be sure to tune
in next time. Until then, this has been Unlimited
Parenting. Thanks for listening!