Empowering Parents application window opens today

The 2023-2024 Empowering Parents application period opens at 7 this morning.

Idaho students from kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible, regardless of whether they attend public school, private school or are homeschooled.

The Empowering Parents program, now in its second year, provides eligible families with grant funds to pay for eligible education services and devices to help students recover from learning loss. Eligible education expenses as defined by Idaho Code include laptops, desktop computers, tablets, headphones, textbooks, workbooks, speech therapy and more. 

Empowering Parents was created by Gov. Brad Little and the Idaho Legislature to assist Idaho families. Since its launch, the program has helped over 45,000 families, all while also supporting local businesses and Idaho's economy.

Awards are prioritized based on the parent or guardian's adjusted gross income. Grants are prioritized and awarded first to households with adjusted gross incomes at or below $60,000 per year. The second phase will prioritize households that earn up to $75,000 per year. After that, the program will be available to all other eligible students on a first come, first-served basis if any funds are left to disburse.

Each eligible family will have access to $1,000 per eligible student, with a maximum award of $3,000 per family. Nearly $30 million will be available this year, enough to fund just under 28,900 grants.

Those who were awarded grants for the 2022 school year must reapply. Eligibility is verified every year.

Visit empoweringparents.idaho.gov for a chart of commonly approved and denied items, to apply and for other details.