Dear parents and friends,
If this past year has been marked by anything, it has been uncertainty—and uncertainty has a way of spreading.
Families raising children with disabilities feel this acutely. Parents depend on multiple systems at once—healthcare, insurance, education, and public benefits—and it is rarely the case that all of those systems are stable at the same time. This year, however, was different. From Medi-Cal to private insurance funding to the Department of Education, nearly every system families rely on experienced significant and overlapping uncertainty.
That level of instability is unsettling. But uncertainty cannot mean inaction.
Here is what remains true: Medi-Cal is still funded. Regional Centers have the largest budgets they have ever had. And while changes within the Department of Education are making a real impact, IDEA remains in force and must still be followed by your child’s school.
And here is what is certain: 2026 will be the year Undivided dramatically accelerates how families navigate services, deadlines, and next steps.
While external systems remain complex and unpredictable, Undivided has spent the past year doing the opposite: building clarity, structure, and momentum. Much of 2025 was dedicated to laying the foundation for tools and workflows that reduce friction, surface the right actions at the right time, and help families move forward with confidence. As we enter 2026, those investments are now coming to life.
As a result, the beginning of 2026 marks the most significant set of platform enhancements in Undivided’s history.
Over the next few weeks, members will see four major product updates.
IEP Assistant
At the center of this year’s enhancements is the IEP Assistant, a fundamentally new way for families to understand, evaluate, and prepare for their child’s IEP.
For too many parents, the IEP process feels overwhelming, opaque, and reactive. Important details are buried in long documents, questions surface too late, and opportunities to strengthen supports are often missed—not because parents aren’t capable, but because the system isn’t designed for clarity.
The IEP Assistant changes that. It helps families understand what their child’s IEP actually says, identify where supports may be missing or unclear, and surface informed questions before meetings happen. It doesn’t replace the IEP team or your lived knowledge of your child—it gives you a clear, structured starting point so you can engage with confidence.
Enhanced Andy AI
Andy is your always-available guide for the countless “what do I do next?” moments that come up between meetings, appointments, and deadlines.
Unlike general-purpose AI tools, Andy is trained on Undivided’s expert-reviewed content, real parent experiences, and system-specific guidance. That means answers grounded in how these systems actually work—not guesses, not generic advice. Andy helps families move forward faster, with more confidence and less second-guessing.
All About Me
An All About Me is a customizable one-page snapshot of your child designed to make sharing essential information with teachers, caregivers, and providers easier and more consistent. Update once, generate anytime, and ensure the people supporting your child start with clarity.
Smart Reminders
Timing matters. Smart Reminders help ensure you never miss a Medi-Cal renewal, IHSS home visit, or IEP deadline and, more importantly, they surface the next steps when action is required, not after it’s too late.
Together, these tools are designed to do one thing: make navigation easier. More support when you need it, less to keep track of, and fewer opportunities for critical steps to slip through the cracks.
Plus, in 2026, we’re expanding access to Undivided:
Regional Center Vendorization
Undivided is now vendored with Redwood Coast Regional Center and has courtesy vendor status with San Diego Regional Center, South Central Los Angeles Regional Center, and Tri-Counties Regional Center, with additional Regional Centers currently in progress. While this process has taken longer than we hoped, it means that in many cases Undivided’s support can now be funded through Regional Center.
The fastest way to accelerate vendorization is for families to request it directly. Until recently, we’ve kept this quiet to ensure the process was working smoothly, but we believe we’re now at that point.
Undivided Is Going Nationwide
After years of focusing exclusively on California, Undivided is beginning a nationwide rollout of membership. We were intentionally disciplined about starting in California, given how dramatically public benefits and education systems vary by state. Despite that focus, families across the country consistently asked for deeper access, and the platform has now reached a point where membership is a no-brainer nationwide.
Just as public benefits and educational systems vary locally, Undivided’s guidance will continue to reflect state-specific realities while remaining united by a single mission: ensuring that children with developmental, intellectual, and learning disabilities, and the caregivers who support them, have what they need to thrive.
In 2025, more than one million people viewed Undivided resources, and thousands of new families created accounts across all 50 states. That growth strengthens the collective knowledge that powers the platform and reinforces why this work matters.
We are honored to be a trusted source during a time when clarity matters more than ever. Thank you for trusting Undivided. We remain deeply committed to helping families move forward with confidence, even when the systems around them feel uncertain.
With gratitude,
Seth Besse, CEO of Undivided
Office hours → Wednesday, January 7, 12:00 p.m. PT
Join us for our first office hours of the new year with Education Advocate Karen Ford Cull. If you have questions about your child’s IEP accommodations, services, assessments, placement, or another special education concern, stop by to get answers! Office hours are for Undivided members only, so join here to participate.
Undivided Conversations → Saturday, January 3, 10:00 a.m. PT
- Mental Health for Kids With Disabilities: Join us on our Facebook page for this re-streamed conversation between Undivided’s Head of Content, Lindsay Crain, and Clinical Director and Founder of CARE-LA, Lauren Stutman, PsyD. They dive into the challenges faced by children with disabilities and the tendency to overlook their mental health needs because of their disabilities.
