“Bryson is being turned down because of his special needs again? I don’t understand why he can’t attend preschool and learn alongside everyone else.” The young mother squeezed her husband’s hand, and the hearts of Nickye Hamlet and Nicole Davis ached. “I’m out of options,” the woman sobbed. “This program was our last hope.”
Davis holds a master’s degree in special education from the University of Tennessee, coupled with 15 years of teaching experience in a public school. Hamlet has 40 years of teaching experience and earned a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University in speech pathology and special education, along with a master’s degree in special education from Vanderbilt. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Cumberland University.
For two years, the two had watched as this same scenario played out in front of them multiple times, but this time, everything would change.
“We sat in meetings with parents who wanted their child to have access to community preschools with their friends from church or from the community. Parents also wanted to work, but because of their child’s therapies or only half-day services offered in the school system, it was difficult for them to find a job that would work around their unique schedules. We would leave these meetings feeling like we needed to do something,” recalled Hamlet and Davis.
After they left the meeting that day and walked solemnly down the hallway, they reached a decision that would change their lives and that of hundreds of children.
“When those parents broke down in that meeting, it was our tap on the shoulder from God. We decided to step out on faith and open SHINE Preschool in 2018. We currently have 30 children who are between the ages of 3 and 5. We are inclusionary and enroll children of all abilities. We show every child God’s love,” said Hamlet.
Davis said, “We focus on everyone’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. Our goal is for children to leave SHINE and go to school and shine their light by being kind and accepting of everyone.”
Although leaving their secure jobs with the public school system and starting SHINE was a giant leap of faith, the two didn’t stop there. They continue to use their experience to teach parents how to navigate the programs that are available in the public schools so that students who graduate from SHINE will continue to thrive.
“We assist parents of students with special needs as they transition from preschool to kindergarten,” said Hamlet. “We walk them through what to expect in the evaluation process and explain how services are provided by their school district. In the past, we have also worked with Sunday school teachers, Mother’s Day Out programs, and private schools to help them form strategies as they work with children who have developmental delays.”
SHINE Preschool now has three certified teachers who have a combined 86 years of experience, and in 2019, 2022, and 2024, they were nominated as finalists for the Main Street Award for Best Preschool/Day Care.
Davis said, “Preschool is an amazing tie in the children’s lives because, for some it will be their first time away from parents. We have an awesome opportunity to shape young children’s lives every day in a positive way. No day in preschool is the same, and that’s what makes it fun for us and the kids. We have a very important responsibility to help parents prepare their child for the educational experience. We want them to be excited about learning and to become lifelong learners.”
“I enjoy engaging with the children every day in different activities,” said Hamlet. “I love to watch their faces light up when they are exploring their environment and making connections with learning.”
The mission of SHINE is to provide a preschool experience where all children learn together.
Both agree, “All children are exceptional in their own way, and they do not all develop the same. The research has consistently demonstrated that students with and without disabilities generally do as well or better, both academically and socially, in an inclusive setting. As licensed educators, we believe that while learning academic and school readiness skills are important, children should have a well-rounded developmental education where they become leaders who shine in their own communities.”
The ladies dream of one day moving into a larger facility where they will have greater opportunities to help more families and children.
“We love our little house, but we receive calls every week from parents who are in need of a preschool for their child, and we hate having to turn them away,” said Hamlet and Davis. “We would also like to expand to have early elementary classes. One in six children, ages birth to 5, in the United States has a developmental delay. These include speech/language, children on the autism spectrum, delays in motor skills, social skills, vision or hearing delays, and health/genetic conditions. No matter the delay — these children are learners.”
At SHINE Preschool, 122 N. Greenwood St. in Lebanon, all children are embraced, empowered, and prepared to shine their light brightly in every community they touch. GN
