Catherine Hershey Schools for
Early Learning

The Need

Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning (CHS) address a critical and growing need for accessible, high-quality early childhood education and care by serving children from birth to age 5 from under resourced and overburdened backgrounds—with all costs covered.

CHS provides year-round, weekday education and care, delivering a whole-child and family success approach designed to help children thrive in the classroom and at home. Enrolled children receive basic supplies and services, including diapers, wipes, meals, and transportation, as well as on-site health services including developmental, audiology, vision, and dental screenings and, as needed, physical, occupational, and speech therapy and nutrition supports.

Each enrolled family receives a dedicated Family Success Advocate (FSA) who supports them through home visiting, workshops, and goal setting, connecting them to resources and education that aid in their growth with the goal of creating safe, strong, financially stable homes for children enrolled at CHS. In turn, families advance important areas of their lives including employment, housing, food insecurity, and more.

Before each CHS Center initially opens, all CHS teachers and staff, whether experienced or new to the profession, complete a robust, paid professional development program informed by the latest research that sets them up for success in their day-to-day work to provide children with an exemplary early childhood education experience. CHS extends its high-quality professional development programming by providing select training to local programs and providers and hosts an annual cost-free professional development event, the CHS ECE Leaders' Summit. As a result, CHS nurtures, educates, and empowers children and families in social and financial need to lead fulfilling and productive lives. In turn, CHS strengthens communities and, through professional development, also supports the field of early childhood education, improving outcomes for children everywhere.

Why Now

CHS addresses a critical and growing need for accessible, high-quality early childhood education and care in Pennsylvania. According to Start Strong PA’s 2025 fact sheet, 128,485 (72%) of children under age 5 eligible for subsidized care are not being served.

How It’s Done

The CHS model was developed by leveraging Milton Hershey School’s experience and through advisory from early childhood education experts, site visits to exemplary early childhood programs, and by conducting community needs assessments. Through this research, the innovative CHS approach was established to include four key pillars:

• High-quality teaching and learning: Including small class sizes with low teacher to child ratios, a Continuity of Care model, and an extensive professional development program titled Seeds to Lead.
• Family success: Supporting families in building safe, strong, financially stable homes for CHS children through dedicated support, home visiting, and access to resources including an on-site Family Success Center.
• Whole child support: Prioritizing the full scope of children’s needs for healthy development by providing basic needs and access to health screenings and specialized supports.
• Measuring outcomes: Evaluating program effectiveness through collaboration with an onsite continuous quality improvement partner to identify improvements and share best practices, and a longitudinal study to assess CHS’s long-term impact on children and families.

How It’s Funded

CHS is a $350 million initiative to develop six Early Childhood Education Centers in Pennsylvania as subsidiaries of Milton Hershey School. They are staffed and operated independently of the Milton Hershey School core model.

The Innovators

Driven by the belief that a family’s income should not determine a child’s outcome, Milton Hershey School launched CHS to further fulfill its mission of helping children in need reach their full potential.

The Impact

As of June 2025, CHS is operating its first two locations (CHS Hershey, opened 2023, and CHS Harrisburg, opened 2024):

• Children served: 300 children, 450 by fall 2025
• Families with a safe home environment: 85% of enrolled families
• Families with full-time employment: 229 enrolled parents
• Staff employed: 232 employees
• CDAs earned: 35 employees with CDAs
• Leadership Academy certifications: 10 employees
• High school internships hosted: 35 students

Get Involved

CHS has partnered with a nonprofit research institute to conduct a longitudinal, mixed-methods evaluation to understand the short-, mid-, and long-term effects of attending the CHS program on children, families, and communities, and looks forward to sharing outcomes with the broader ECE community. CHS also hosts an annual cost-free professional development event, the ECE Leaders' Summit, for all CHS staff and local child and family serving professionals. Stay up to date on professional development resources and events at chslearn.org/resources/for-professionals.

Beginning in 2026, CHS will expand into Lancaster County with locations in Lancaster City, New Danville, and Elizabethtown. Learn more at chslearn.org/careers.