What is Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning (CHS)?
Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is a non-residential, year-round, weekday early childhood education program in Pennsylvania that serves children from six weeks to age 5 from under-resourced and overburdened backgrounds—with all costs covered for qualifying families.
CHS Centers will ensure enrolled children have the knowledge, skills, and values needed to grow into their best selves. It will support the following:
- Hands-on classroom learning
- Social and emotional development
- Cognitive growth
CHS Centers are subsidiaries of Milton Hershey School (MHS) and are staffed and operated independently of the Milton Hershey School core model.
What does the CHS program look like?
CHS provides a core early learning program year-round from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and has a play-based curriculum designed to be child-centered and hands-on with a focus on social emotional learning and physical, cognitive, and language development.
Through our whole child supports, CHS prioritizes the full scope of children’s needs to support their healthy development and provide a strong foundation for a healthy and successful future. This includes providing each child with basic supplies including diapers, wipes, sunscreen, a toothbrush and toothpaste, nutritious meals, and for some, transportation.
CHS provides comprehensive family support services through our family success approach. Each family receives a dedicated Family Success Advocate (FSA) to work with throughout their time at CHS to identify any areas of support needed and connect them to helpful resources. These resources include parenting, child development, housing, employment, health, library access, weekend food support, and more.
Where will the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning be located?
All CHS Centers will be in Pennsylvania:
- CHS Hershey: Opened in October 2023
- CHS Harrisburg: Opened in September 2024
- CHS Middletown: Opened in August 2025
- CHS New Danville: Opening in Summer of 2026
- CHS Elizabethtown: Opening in Summer of 2027
- CHS Lancaster City: Opening in Fall of 2027
Who is eligible for enrollment?
Minimum admissions qualifications include a child coming from an income-eligible family, being six weeks to age 4 at the time of enrollment, and having the ability to participate in and benefit from the CHS program.
Please visit the Admissions page for additional information.
While children will not be automatically admitted to Milton Hershey School upon turning 5, they are welcome to apply for admission to MHS. It is expected that many children will enroll in their local school districts, and CHS looks forward to partnering with families and schools to support a successful transition.
Please visit the CHS Admissions page for additional information.
What employment opportunities are available?
Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning continuously seeks passionate individuals to be a part of our mission, bring in new creative ideas, and love their work. Employment opportunities are updated frequently on the CHS Careers page.
