When people talk about IEP facilitation in your state, you want to make sure they have the language to explain accurately what you do and why facilitation is valuable. Identify the key messages or values underpinning your program and make sure these are communicated far and wide. Having a consistent message, in addition to the message itself, communicates to a variety of stakeholders that the values, for example, of neutrality and fairness, are applied the same for parents and for schools.
States with successful programs have been able to normalize and institutionalize facilitation as another dispute resolution option available to parents and schools. Their websites might discuss the four options (facilitation, mediation, written state complaints, and due process complaints) available and tout facilitation and mediation as two early resolution strategies available for disagreements or conflicts related to special education matters. Normalizing and institutionalizing facilitation gives your program credibility. Ensure that materials and program staff can distinguish between mediation and facilitation, two processes that are often confused.