Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning (CHS), a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School (MHS), celebrated the opening of its third Early Childhood Education Center yesterday in Middletown, Pennsylvania. CHS Middletown is part of a $350 million initiative to initially develop six Early Childhood Education Centers in Pennsylvania designed to serve children from six weeks to age 5 from under-resourced and over-burdened backgrounds, with all costs covered for qualifying families.
Event attendees included regional leaders and supporters, community partners, CHS Middletown teachers and staff, and a group of the first families to enroll. The event kicked off with remarks from key leaders, including Chair of the MHS Board of Managers Maria Kraus, MHS and CHS President Pete Gurt, Catherine Hershey Schools Executive Director Senate Alexander, and CHS Middletown Center Director Jessica Knaub. Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees toured the 48,692-square-foot facility, which features 12 state-of-the-art classrooms, an Innovation Studio, more than 24,000 square feet of outdoor play spaces, a STEM Garden, and a Family Success Center – an area for families to visit and access resources available to them.
“The opening of CHS Middletown represents yet another remarkable chapter in the ongoing expansion of Milton and Catherine Hershey’s enduring legacy,” said Pete Gurt, President of MHS and CHS. “Yesterday’s milestone is a powerful reminder that what began in 1909 in a singular act of generosity continues to grow and transform lives in profound and lasting ways.”
CHS Middletown, serving 150 local children primarily from the Middletown, Steelton, and Highspire areas, will operate year-round from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Catherine Hershey Schools program is centered around a play-based curriculum to enhance children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development.
CHS will offer enrolled children various health services on-site, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy; behavioral support; as well as meals, transportation for some, and personal items. Family Success Advocates support families of enrolled children through goal setting, home visiting, and by connecting families to resources and supports. To deliver the CHS experience, the location employs nearly 80 teachers and staff, who completed a nearly year-long, paid professional development program in preparation for the Center’s opening.
“This third location in Dauphin County brings our county-wide enrollment to 450 children in need, most of whom did not previously have access to high-quality early childhood education and care,” said CHS Executive Director Senate Alexander. “With this new location, we expand the successes and learnings from our initial locations in Hershey and Harrisburg and celebrate the growing impact CHS will have on local children, families, and communities thanks to the collective efforts of our teachers and staff, MHS, and community partners.”
CHS launched its first location in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 2023. CHS Harrisburg followed in September 2024. The next planned locations are in Lancaster County, with CHS New Danville expected to open in summer 2026, CHS Elizabethtown in summer 2027, and CHS Lancaster City in fall 2027.
CHS Middletown is at capacity upon opening. Interested families can sign up to receive updates for future admissions opportunities at CHS in the admissions section of chslearn.org.
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