Shannon Nickinson, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Shannon NickinsonMay 21, 2016

For good or ill, the world the today’s kindergartners will graduate into demands more of them than it did of their parents. Florida’s antidote to that was supposed to be free preschool for every 4-year-old in the state. The voter-approved initiative that launched voluntary prekindergarten said the program should be “voluntary, high quality, free and […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 9, 2016

A child’s work is play, the saying goes. Which is why adults are always trying to sneak learning into places where kids are already having fun. That’s part of the theory behind the Story Walk at Bryan Park in Northeast Pensacola. The park is built around the Tryon Branch of the West Florida Regional Public […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 19, 2016

We began compiling the responses to Quint and Rishy Studer’s “Be the Bulb” challenge, which will see the couple give away $50,000 in total for ideas that aim to improve early learning. I’ve been through them all. With several days left in the challenge, I don’t want to reveal too much about the hundreds of […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 5, 2016

Sometimes it’s not about having all the answers — it’s about knowing where to go to find them. The Golden Apple roundtable is a gathering of teachers of the year from Escambia Schools. It’s a forum where the best and brightest minds on the front lines of education in Escambia County get together to share […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 8, 2016

What if there were a simple way to tell new parents how important it is to talk to their babies? A nonprofit in Martin and St. Lucie counties has been working for nearly 20 years to do just that with a BRAIN Bag. Building Readiness Among Infants Now (BRAIN) stresses the power of words in […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 3, 2016

In the Pensacola area, more and more women are starting businesses of their own. Forbes reports that one-fourth of all businesses in the country are owned by women and that a rising number of women-owned businesses are topping the $1 million mark. Nationally women own 36 percent of businesses. In the Pensacola metro area, 38.5 […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 1, 2016

Early education is the key topic for the Studer Community Institute in 2016. But we aren’t the only community looking into the issues of how well our children are prepared for school and looking for ways to make that better. The Boston Globe published a series of stories about the topic, including one that looked […]

Shannon NickinsonFebruary 29, 2016

Winning the school readiness battle begins way before kindergarten. At T.R. Jackson Pre-K Center in Milton, it goes on every day. Dawn Alt is the director of Pre-K programs for Santa Rosa Schools. She is the former principal of Oriole Beach Elementary School, a high-poverty school in south Santa Rosa County. There are 280 students […]

Shannon NickinsonFebruary 10, 2016

Does Pensacola have the skills to pay the bills? Signs may be turning toward yes. The announcement that Pensacola State will host the state conference for one of the leading career and technical education conferences from 2018 to 2020 may be a sign that we’re getting there. PSC will host SkillsUSA Florida State Leadership and […]

Shannon NickinsonJanuary 31, 2016

If you don’t have health insurance, try not to sick — for at least three to five more years. This week, State Sen. Don Gaetz said expanding health-care coverage for the uninsured is DOA for three to five years. So cross your fingers and wash your hands. A lot. The safety net under the uninsured […]

Shannon Nickinson

Shannon Nickinson: Florida’s 4-year-olds need more friends in high places

Shannon Nickinson: Program takes aim at kids’ weight, readiness for kindergarten

Shannon Nickinson: Ideas to improve early learning in Escambia County

Shannon Nickinson: Communities need to make sure kids are ready for kindergarten

Shannon Nickinson: Program helps new parents build better readers

Shannon Nickinson: More women are starting businesses, helping local economies

Shannon Nickinson: Legislators need to provide more money for early childhood education

Shannon Nickinson: Educators encourage parents to attend GED classes

Shannon Nickinson: Workers with technical skills vital to Pensacola

Shannon Nickinson: Uninsured poor people simply can’t afford to get sick