Cost-free preschool in Hershey area has groundbreaking
Facility will serve low-income, at-risk families in Pa.
Nearly 85% of Pennsylvania children younger than 5 whose families live near the federal poverty line do not have access to high-quality early childhood education, according to Senate Alexander, executive director of Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning.
But that’s about to change for hundreds of children in central Pa. as officials on Wednesday broke ground on the first costfree Early Childhood Resource Center in Derry Township. Children will have the opportunity to jump-start their education as early as next school year.
The project is the result of a multi-year study by Milton Hershey School officials who wanted to do something innovative for at-risk and low income families.
Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania attorney general, attended the groundbreaking and said he believes the plan is eventually going to make a difference for thousands of children throughout the Commonwealth.
“This school will be an essential lifeline and put children in need on a path where they can access quality education certainly and most importantly realize their full potential as individuals,” he said.
The learning center in Derry Township is part of a $350 million initiative to fund the initial development of up to six cost-free centers across Pennsylvania, as subsidiaries of Milton Hershey School and Hershey
Trust Company. One of the six centers includes the Midtown neighborhood of Harrisburg at Sixth and Muench streets.
After completion in 2023, the two-story, 50,000-squarefoot learning center in Derry Township will serve up to 150 students as early from birth to age 5.
As the first Catherine Hershey School location, Wednesday’s
groundbreaking marked a historic achievement in the legacy of Milton and Catherine Hershey, according to officials. The center will benefit at-risk children, their families, and the whole community, Alexander said, by providing resources year-round.
“As an educator, what gets me excited about CHS is our whole child approach, which
will provide a core early-learning program, nutritious meals, transportation, and other needed supplies,” he said, “as well as integrated support services to families of enrolled children with a dedicated family engagement specialist and a family resource center.”
The groundbreaking coincided with Milton Hershey School’s Founders Week, marking
112 years since the Hersheys established the Milton Hershey School.
Wednesday’s event concluded with students from Milton Hershey School recognizing Catherine Hershey’s love for plants by sprinkling flower seeds into the soil.
The program began accepting applications for its first schoollevel position, director of CHS
Hershey, with more job openings coming soon through the CHS website.
The student admission process for Catherine Hershey schools is expected to begin in the fall of 2022 with a focus on serving children in Hershey and the surrounding area. To learn more information about Catherine Hershey schools and career opportunities visit the website.