The Paddock Early Childhood Center (PECC) plays an important part in the Milan community. For many families, it’s a place that has helped begin the educational lives of their young children and has been there as a reliable resource.
Serving over 170 children in the community from birth to age five, the PEEC offers infant, toddler and preschool programming. They are recognized by the State of Michigan with the highest quality rating for children’s programs through Michigan’s Great Start to Quality validation process.
Another big help with the PECC is that it also operates before/after school childcare for Milan Area Schools from 6:30a.m.-6:15 p.m. for working families.
The Sun Times News connected with Jessi Kishiyama, Director of Early Childhood in Milan Area Schools, to learn more about the PECC and what it offers.
In explaining what the center is, Kishiyama said when Michigan began universal “PreK for All” over the last two years it gave all four-year-olds the opportunity to attend high-quality, no-cost preschool programs. With this, she said Milan Area Schools was ahead of the curve in their local area.
“From 2022 to 2025, PECC has grown from two to five classrooms for local four-year-olds, ensuring enough space for the greater Milan community, and supported by a district restructuring of our buildings in summer of 2024,” Kishiyama said. “Paddock Early Childhood Center now boasts 11 different early childhood classrooms for every age.”
The importance of the center starts with laying the all-important foundation.
“High-quality early childhood education is critical for laying the foundation of lifelong learning, cognitive development, and social-emotional skills,” Kishiyama said. “Research consistently shows that early learning programs lead to improved academic outcomes, reduced achievement gaps, and long-term societal benefits such as higher graduation rates and economic productivity. Early Childhood matters the most for brain development, and our staff are highly-trained leaders in the field.”
If you’re part of the Milan community and you’re looking for some important help, and want to learn more then go to the schools’ webpage. All tuition-based programs, morning-only and full-day, part-time or full-time, are located on our district website: https://www.milanareaschools.org/Page/3786
They are now enrolling. PECC’s free preschool application is locatedon www.helpmegrowwashtenaw.org (select Milan Area Schools) for children who turn four prior to Dec. 1, 2025.
Photos courtesy of the PECC
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
