Children and Families Succeeding Together
Are you struggling to afford childcare? Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning provides weekday education and care while connecting your family with the resources needed to succeed—with all costs covered. We will be opening six locations across Central PA between now and 2026. Learn about enrollment below.
Ages Served
Infants
6 weeks to 12 months old
Younger Toddler
1 to 2 years old
Older Toddler
2 to 3 years old
Preschool
3 to 5 years old
Minimum Enrollment Qualifications
A child must meet the following admissions criteria:
- Come from an income-eligible family
- If you are struggling to afford childcare, your child may be eligible. Each family’s situation is different. Our Family Success Team will partner with you to determine if CHS is the right fit for your family.
- Be six weeks to 4 years old at the time of enrollment
- This is the age of your child on their first day at CHS. This age requirement is to ensure your child and family have ample time to benefit from the programming and resources included within the CHS Program.
- Have the ability to participate in and benefit from the CHS Program
CHS will receive many more applications than it can accept. This is due to limited space in our centers and our desire to maintain small class sizes with low teacher-to-child ratios. As a result, meeting the Minimum Enrollment Qualifications does not guarantee a child’s enrollment.
Enrollment Timetable
CHS Hershey

CHS Harrisburg

CHS Middletown

CHS Lancaster City, CHS New Danville, and CHS Elizabethtown are scheduled to begin opening in 2026.
Milton Hershey School Admissions
Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School and is operated independently of the MHS core model. MHS is among the best private schools in the nation, serving children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade from financially qualified families. Children enrolled at CHS will not be automatically admitted to MHS upon turning 5, but they are invited to apply for admission to MHS.
Learn More about MHS

For Interested Professionals
Want to know more about current opportunities at CHS? Explore our open positions.

Hear From Our Leaders
Hear about the vision for CHS from those leading the way in early childhood education.