Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning Hosts Third Annual Leaders Summit for the Early Childhood Education Community
Hershey, Pa. – Feb. 26, 2025 – Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning (CHS), a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School (MHS), hosted its third annual early childhood education (ECE) leadership conference this week at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, engaging local and state professionals serving children and families. Themed “Extraordinary Impact,” the two-day Leaders Summit focused on shaping the future of children, families, and communities and was designed for a variety of professionals working to support young children and families. It included keynote addresses from national experts, networking opportunities, and educational workshops with practical takeaways for participants.
“This special event first and foremost provides a high-quality professional development opportunity for our teachers and staff at Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning,” CHS Executive Director Senate Alexander said. “What makes this event unique is that it also allows us to bring other professionals outside of CHS into the mix, fostering mutual learning with the collective goal to optimize the early childhood education field by expanding knowledge, igniting innovation, inspiring passion, and ultimately improving outcomes for children everywhere.”
The event kicked off on Tuesday, Feb. 25, with a high-impact keynote from Michael Bonner—an internationally recognized educator, author, and speaker known for transforming leadership, culture, and team development at the highest levels. Bonner’s electrifying address challenged attendees to rethink how they build authentic relationships and create elite organizational success through vision-driven leadership.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, participants attended large-group sessions with keynotes from Jon Gordon, a renowned leadership speaker and 17-time best-selling author of The Energy Bus, and Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney and current CEO & Founder of ID8. A panel discussion was held Wednesday with Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission Executive Director Andrea Heberlein, Bellwether Senior Associate in the Policy and Evaluation practice Bonnie O’Keefe, Work Wisdom Executive Coaching Assistant Maria Hoover, and Alexander discussing how local and national ECE leaders envision, launch, and scale innovations in policy, program, and practice to transform systems, strengthen equity, and improve outcomes for children and educators.
Event attendees included nearly 500 CHS staff, local ECE program leaders and teachers, K-12 leaders, college educators, social workers, and nonprofit leaders. Among the guests were local high school students from MHS and Derry Township School District interested in a career in the ECE field. The MHS students are in the Education & Human Services pathway of the MHS Career and Technical Education program working toward their Child Development Associate credential. Many of the MHS and Derry Township students are completing a semester-long internship at CHS Hershey.
“The Summit is a perfect encapsulation of one of the key prongs of our vision at CHS: strengthening the broader community and serving as a leader in early childhood education to improve outcomes for children everywhere,” MHS and CHS President Pete Gurt said. “This high-quality, professional development event not only provides skill- and knowledge-building tools but uplifts and inspires ECE professionals to continue building communities that help young learners thrive.”
Recent CHS developments include the opening of CHS Harrisburg in fall 2024, the planned opening of CHS Middletown later this year, and expansion into Lancaster County with three centers (Lancaster City, New Danville, Elizabethtown) expected to begin opening in 2026. CHS is hiring qualified staff at multiple sites, including CHS New Danville, where employment will begin with a paid professional development program. Learn more at chslearn.org/careers.
ABOUT CATHERINE HERSHEY SCHOOLS FOR EARLY LEARNING
Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning (CHS) provides non-residential, year-round weekday care and education to children from six weeks to age 5 from under-resourced and overburdened backgrounds, with all costs covered for qualifying families. CHS is a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School (MHS) and is part of a $350 million initiative to initially develop six Early Childhood Education Centers in Pennsylvania. For more information, visit chslearn.org.
ABOUT MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL
Milton Hershey School is one of the world’s best private schools, where qualifying students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade live on campus and receive an exceptional educational experience—with all costs covered. For more information, visit mhskids.org.
