Florida’s School System Offers Opportunities a Michigan Family Couldn't Find at Home

Frustrated with limited special education options in Michigan, a family finds life-changing support through Florida’s school choice program.

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. — After years of trying to make Michigan’s education system work for his daughter with special needs, Kiel Vedrode packed up and moved his family more than 1,200 miles south to Florida. The decision wasn’t easy, but for Vedrode, the choice was clear.

“Our daughter is nine and has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD,” Vedrode said in an interview. “We were looking ahead to the next school year and realized we didn’t have the kind of support she needed in Michigan.”

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Vedrode and his wife had tried private schools in metro Detroit, including a Christian school where teachers were kindhearted but lacked training to handle neurodiverse children. “They did everything they could, but we knew our daughter was falling behind,” he said.

The turning point came after a spring break trip to Florida. The couple had family in the Lakewood Ranch area, and they began to seriously consider relocating.

Vedrode said Florida’s school choice program was a “game changer.” He learned about the Unique Abilities Scholarship, which provides nearly $10,000 to help children with certain diagnoses attend private schools tailored to their needs.

“When I found out all we needed was a diagnosis from a doctor, and then we’d qualify for thousands of dollars in support, it almost sounded too good to be true,” Vedrode said. “But it’s real. And it opened doors we never thought were possible.”

In Manatee County alone, Vedrode found more than 20 schools that accept the scholarship. Many are staffed with teachers who hold special certifications to work with students like his daughter. “These aren’t just regular classrooms with aides,” he said. “These are full schools with small class sizes, individual learning plans, and teachers who understand what our daughter needs.”

Vedrode toured three schools with his daughter. “All of them were incredible,” he said. “One of them accepted her, and that’s where she’ll be going.”

In Michigan, Vedrode estimated that similar schools would have cost his family $20,000 out of pocket. “With the scholarship in Florida, we’re only paying what we used to pay in Michigan — about $8,000,” he said. “Now we’re getting so much more support and quality education.”

He hopes Michigan lawmakers will pay attention. “I’m not a politician. I’m a dad,” he said. “But if I could talk to the people in Lansing, I’d tell them to look at what Florida is doing. School choice opened up opportunities for our daughter that didn’t exist back home.”

Vedrode said he’s been sharing what he’s learned with other families in Michigan, especially those with children who have autism, ADHD, or dyslexia. “I’m not trying to tell anyone what to do,” he said. “But I want them to know what’s possible.”

He added, “We didn’t move because of the weather. We moved because Florida gave us hope for our daughter’s future.”