New Early Learning Center Opens
Catherine Hershey Schools Opens First Lancaster County Center, Serving Under-Resourced Children
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Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning has opened a new early childhood center in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — its fourth location out of six initially planned. The 28,000-square-foot facility, called CHS New Danville, will serve 100 children from six weeks to age 5, according to PR Newswire. Families who qualify pay nothing — all costs are covered.
The center is a subsidiary of the well-known Milton Hershey School. Its mission is simple: give low-income children access to high-quality early education before kindergarten. Research shows that the earliest years of life are critical for brain development, and many under-resourced families struggle to afford quality care.
Who the New Danville Center Will Serve
CHS New Danville is designed for families who are under-resourced or overburdened. The center will mainly serve children from three local school districts: Penn Manor, Solanco, and Lampeter-Strasburg, PR Newswire reported. These are areas where affordable, high-quality childcare is hard to find.
The program accepts children as young as six weeks old. That early start matters. Brain development is fastest in the first five years of life. Getting children into a strong learning environment early can change their long-term outcomes in school and beyond.
Play-Based Learning at the Heart of the Program
CHS New Danville uses a play-based curriculum. That means children learn through hands-on activity, not just sitting at desks. The approach targets three key areas: social skills, emotional growth, and cognitive development, according to PR Newswire.
Play-based learning is backed by decades of research. It helps young children build language, problem-solving, and relationship skills. For children from struggling families, a structured but nurturing environment like this can close key learning gaps before they even start kindergarten.
Fourth of Six Planned Centers Now Open
CHS New Danville is the fourth center Catherine Hershey Schools has opened, out of six initially planned locations, according to Street Insider. The organization is expanding its footprint across Pennsylvania to reach more families in need.
Each center is funded through Milton Hershey School, one of the wealthiest private schools in the United States. MHS uses income from the Hershey Trust to fund programs like CHS. The goal is to extend that wealth's impact far beyond the original school's walls.
No Cost to Families, Big Cost to the Problem
Childcare in the United States is expensive. Many families pay more than $15,000 a year per child for quality care. CHS eliminates that burden entirely for qualifying families. There are no tuition fees, no hidden costs — the program is free, PR Newswire reported.
That model is rare. Most subsidized childcare programs still leave families with some out-of-pocket costs. By removing the financial barrier completely, CHS New Danville aims to make sure that a family's income never determines the quality of their child's early education.
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