What we do
NEXTGEN is the official family resource of Manatee County, featuring local events and good news around our community and is brought to you by the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, Inc (ELC). The educational and family resource magazine is distributed to the parents of 25,000 elementary school children in 47 Manatee County schools, with an additional 8,000 distributed to over 200 childcare facilities, libraries, medical offices, hospitals and other business offices throughout the county. Our new website features local events, community updates and interactive activities and games for children of all ages.
Latest Issue
Fall 2026
Recent Issues
Book Smarts
WORDS: Shannon Evans
PHOTOS: Wendy Dewhurst
Nerves taut, attention fixed, everyone waits for the competition to begin. Months of preparation have led to this moment. No athletic skill needed here, though—it’s all about the books.
The School District of Manatee County’s annual Battle of the Books brings together teams of students to prove how well they know the Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) titles, a set of 15 books …
Safety by the Book
WORDS: Shannon Evans
PHOTOS: Katelyn Disbro
The four-year-olds at Toad Hall Children’s Center have plenty to say about fire safety. They talk about the smoke alarms in their homes and how fast they’re able to crawl beneath smoke. But they also have questions, particularly about the silent, furry visitor standing at the front of their classroom.
“Can he bark?”
The visitor is Marshall, a life-size fire dog mascot for West …
Dream Oaks Puts Down Roots
WORDS & PHOTOS: Wendy Dewhurst
Foundation for Dreams (FFD), through its signature Dream Oaks Camp program, strives to create a place where children recognize one another as individuals, not by their disabilities. Its vision is to give individuals with special needs opportunities to learn and grow, build meaningful relationships, and develop new skills.
FFD is the only organization in Southwest Florida providing year-round weekend and summer residential camp sessions for …
A Seat at the Table
WORDS: Shannon Evans
PHOTOS: School District of Manatee County
A five-year-old boy walks up to our table, his straw hat and flowery shirt matching the restaurant’s décor. His name tag displays his title: Host.
“Are you having a nice time?” he asks, smiling. We nod and smile back.
“Good.” He moves off, on his way to ensure others are having a similarly nice time.
Soon, a little girl approaches, her …
A Mission That FELT Like Home
WORDS: Shannon Evans
PHOTOS: Wendy Dewhurst
Every Wednesday and Friday during the school year, volunteers gather at Feeding Empty Little Tummies (FELT)’s building in Palmetto to unpack, sort, count, and pack food.
The warehouse was not specially built for the organization, but Executive Director Jessica Ryherd likes to think it fits. More than 100 years old, the building was once a feed store and later tied to shipping produce by …
The People Who Say Yes
WORDS: Shannon Evans
PHOTOS: Wendy Dewhurst
Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1987. Tim Milligan attended his first Rotary meeting at another member’s invitation. At a time when clubs limited membership by profession, he didn’t take the invitation lightly.
Louisville, Kentucky, 1997. A man stopped by the Salvation Army office where Tom Richmond served as a lieutenant. “Have you ever been a member of Rotary?” he asked. Tom hadn’t, so the man described its …
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