Francesca was a child with no self-esteem, calling herself dumb and stupid. Her parents saw a Huntington commercial and decided to give us a try. Francesca came to Huntington in August 2011. It was very clear to our staff why Francesca had such confidence issues: school was too difficult for her.

Francesca's parents saw the urgency of the situation and decided to enroll their daughter in our program immediately, attending eight hours a week. In a short amount of time, Francesa has completely turned things around. Her first report card after starting at Huntington showed dramatic improvement. She earned 96 in Reading, a subject she was barely passing before.

After multiple visits with Francesca's teachers, they have referred two other students to Huntington because they believe that Huntington is able to help children overcome struggles as we did with Francesca. Francesca is now the Hartsdale Huntington center's little mayor--she comes in as if she owns the center, very happy and confident. Francesca came to Huntington calling herself stupid. Today, she is a shining star and extremely confident in her abilities.

FROM: Francesca