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When I was three years old I was diagnosed with being developmentaly delayed, along with later being diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder) and excessive impulstivity in both of my hands. At the time of me being diagnosed a diagnostic team suggested to my parents that I be put into an institute, due to the fact that it was highly unlikely that I would develop mentally past the age of two.
Instead of doing this my parents chose to put me into the Pre-K Head Start program. At the age of three I was put into the Language and Speech class at Orangewood Elementary in Ft. Myers, Florida for two years. At the age of five, I attended the first Inclusion program at Hancock Creek Elementary in N. Ft. Myers, Florida.
My mother also became involved with the program when I was four. She joined the Policy council along with entering my younger brother into the program. During those years my mother served as an activities coordinator on the Policy Board. Once my brother and I started school my mother helped to create the Ambassador program which allowed past Head Start parents to stay involved and help recruit new Head Start parents for the policy council.
Due to my mother being part of the Ambassador program my brother and I were able to stay involved with the Head Start program. This included providing Christmas for over a thousand Pre-K Head Start children for five years, family fun fairs, teacher appreciation dinners, parenting classes for children with dissabilities, with guest speakers, having breakfast with Santa Claus (my dad) who allowed my brother and I to be elves by helping pick up the gifts and decorate the name trees while he delivered the gifts to the children.
Being involved in this program did a lot to help form the personality I have today. After I moved to where I currently live in Niceville, Florida I succeded in overcoming my dissabilities even more then I had in Head Start by keeping their ideas strong, excelling in school, creating a strong love of reading and writing that sometimes gets me in trouble for doing too much, getting a perfect score on the state writing exam called Florida Writes, getting above average scores in FCAT (Florida-Comprehensive-Apptitude-Test), getting my poetry published on the internet, and pursuing a career in occupational therapy.
In my heart I know that I would not have the same story I do today if it had not been for the love I recieved in the Head Start program. Please help Save the program that not only helped create my own success story but many others as well.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Santner
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