Working Together

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS EDLY IEP CONSULTING & ADVOCACY?

Edly IEP Consulting & Advocacy, LLC. is an agency that matches professional, experienced special education advocates with families to help them solve special education problems and make decisions for their special education students. Our Advocates attend meetings, provide coaching via phone, and help parents understand their rights.

Edly is devoted to helping students with disabilities receive a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.

The goal of Edly IEP Consulting & Advocacy is to provide families with expert help from a qualified individual who can do anything from answering questions by phone to prepping for an IEP or 504 meeting through coaching you, to in-depth analysis of whether your child is making progress in school and attending IEP meetings, filing Formal Mediation requests, filing State Complaints and Civil Right Complaints.

Edly IEP Consulting & Advocacy, LLC. is a division of Bright Path Enterprises, LLC.

WHAT KINDS OF ISSUES DO EDLY IEP ADVOCATES HELP WITH?

Edly Advocates help all students with all types of disabilities and they do so with any issue related to special education programming, discipline, and treatment in public schools. We help with IEPs and 504 Plans. We even help with RTI (Response to Intervention), before your child is eligible for a 504 Plan or IEP.

WHY DO FAMILIES HIRE SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCATES?

Families work with Special Education Advocates for a wide variety of reasons.

You may want someone to identify and analyze the IEP or 504 Plan and help you solve problems or meet needs for your child.

You may want someone to design and/or help you get an IEP team to implement an IEP.

You may have questions about discipline or behavioral approaches, grades, testing or even how someone at the school is working with your child.

You may want someone to help you at an IEP meeting and serve as an enforcer to help them in challenges with an IEP team.

An Advocate can help increase communication between the school district and you.

They can help you understand and be a full and equal participant in meetings. With the help of an IEP Advocate, you can develop a school district relationship where your concerns are heard and acted on. Advocates help facilitate the IEP process so that the parents feel like an equal part of the educational team.

IEP Advocates can provide insight into the process and help guide parents to what are reasonable requests and expectations.

Advocates help parents to express their concerns at meetings. There's a helping hand and parents do not feel misunderstood or alone in their opinions.

IEP Advocates serve as a trusted voice. They are a comfort and support to assist with sadness, anger and frustration when you are upset about the use of low expectations by educational professionals or simply not knowing what the answers are.

IEP Advocates prevent others from blaming your child or you for your child’s challenges (no more hearing these things: “lazy, lacks discipline, not trying hard enough, will eventually just get "it", doesn’t pay attention, is a brat, is spoiled”).

They also protect your parent rights by identifying and preserving them throughout the IEP process, so you can exercise them later if you need to (through Mediations or other dispute resolution attempts like filing a Complaint or asking for a Due Process Hearing).

WHAT IS EDLY’S ROLE IN HELPING ME FIND AND HIRE AN IEP ADVOCATE?

Once you identify what you would like to request help with and you read the descriptions of the Advocacy Packages, you can sign up for a Package that you select on your own, or if you need help deciding which one to buy, you can schedule an intake call where an Intake Coordinator will help you decide which fits your needs. Then the Intake Coordinator will match you with an available Advocate who is in our Edly database of approved, qualified and experienced Advocates.

WHY SHOULD I HIRE AN EDLY ADVOCATE RATHER THAN HIRING SOMEONE NOT AFFILIATED WITH EDLY?

It's important to work with someone who knows what they're doing. Your child's education is on the line. Currently, there is no standard certification or state/national licensing requirement for people who want to be advocates to enter the profession of IEP Consulting & Advocacy.

Edly’s IEP Advocates are already in business for themselves and in order to meet our company qualifications, certain criteria must be met (please review our website page for IEP Advocates).

WHO CAN BE AN EDLY IEP ADVOCATE?

An Edly IEP Advocate is a person considered an expert in special education, someone who has developed a knowledge base and demonstrated skills in sound advice, practical strategy and advocacy – all grounded in a deep interest in the rights and abilities of students with disAbilities (Edly’s motto is “For the Love of Ability”). They are professionals with a deep understanding of special education rules, procedures, and disAbilities. And of course, they truly enjoy sharing their knowledge, wisdom and experience and being a voice for a student with disAbilities and his or her family.

WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE DOES AN IEP ADVOCATE HAVE?

Edly contracts with qualified experts who understand how to help you. We invite you to read our website page for IEP Advocates. It describes the criteria for working with us.

IS AN EDLY IEP ADVOCATE THE SAME THING AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT “PARENT MENTOR”?

No. There are several differences.

1. A school district Parent Mentor works for the school system. The school pays a Parent Mentor. An Edly IEP Advocate works for you. You pay them and your child comes first.
2. A mentor gives information but is typically limited in advocacy efforts. If you have problems that the district is not acknowledging or helping with, an Edly IEP Advocate can create incentive for the district to resolve those issues.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO WORK WITH AN EDLY IEP ADVOCATE?

There are several options for Advocacy Packages. Each package is quoted to you based on the Advocate's rates.

There are lots of options.

• You could have a Q & A session with an IEP Advocate. This is the least expensive package.
• You could choose a package that allows you to have a more comprehensive session with an Advocate and receive coaching/guidance on how to self-advocate for your child at an upcoming IEP or 504 meeting.
• You could choose a package that gives you a comprehensive analysis and consultation with an Advocate who will then attend the IEP or 504 meeting with you (live or via technology).
• Customized packages are also an option, in case you have a request for help with a different set of challenges.

AM I ABLE TO TALK TO AN EDLY IEP ADVOCATE BEFORE WE ARE MATCHED? WHAT IF I DON'T FEEL WE'RE A GOOD FIT?

Yes. You will be able to talk for up to 20 minutes and decide if you’d like to work together. Guidance and advice for your specific situation will begin once you have become an Edly client.

I MAY NEED LEGAL HELP. CAN EDLY HELP ME WITH THAT?

Since Edly isn’t a law firm and since Advocates cannot give legal advice, if you need legal advice or help with a Due Process hearing, we will recommend that you consult with an attorney to ensure that you know your legal rights, claims, and possible remedies. In some states, Advocates can help families with Due Process Hearings. If that is true for the state you live in, we will talk with you about bringing a lawyer into the loop to make sure that you're leaving no stone unturned.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Edly will be opening its doors in April 2018! Email us now to be added to our newsletter and you'll be the first to know when we begin serving families!

ONCE I KNOW THAT I WANT TO WORK WITH AN IEP ADVOCATE, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR ME TO GET HELP FOR MY CHILD?

Once you sign the Edly Agreement and Release of Information form and make a payment, and then you'll be ready to work with your Edly Advocate.

CAN I PAY FOR EDLY SERVICES WITH A CREDIT CARD?

Yes. All major cards are accepted.

WHAT’S MY NEXT STEP?

Please review the package descriptions and email us at info@edlyeducation.com - we'll email you a brief questionnaire so you can answer a few questions and schedule a time to speak with us. During that call, we'll determine what type of help you need, your timeline, and if we have an Advocate who will meet your needs.