Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning (CHS), a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School (MHS), recently celebrated the grand opening of CHS New Danville, marking the organization's first early childhood education center in Lancaster County and the fourth of six initially planned locations in Pennsylvania.

Regional leaders, supporters, CHS staff members, and community partners gathered at the new center, located at 393 Long Lane in Pequea Township, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and facility tours. Remarks were delivered by MHS and CHS president Peter G. Gurt, CHS interim executive director Brittany Tomaso, and CHS New Danville center director Jessica Bailey.

The 28,000-square-foot center will serve 100 children from six weeks to age 5 from under-resourced and overburdened backgrounds, with all costs covered for qualifying families. The center is enrolled to capacity upon opening, primarily serving families who reside, work, or attend school within the Penn Manor, Solanco, and Lampeter-Strasburg school districts. CHS will work closely with these local districts to ensure continuity of support for children and families while investing in the long-term success of the surrounding communities.

CHS New Danville occupies the former Lancaster Mennonite School campus, a site that has served children and families in Lancaster County for generations. Thoughtfully renovated for its new purpose, the facility includes state-of-the-art classrooms, an Innovation Studio, a Family Success Center, and more than 13,000 square feet of outdoor play space.

The CHS program is centered on a play-based curriculum that promotes children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. Through a partnership with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, enrolled children have access to health services, in addition to physical therapy, occupational and speech therapy, behavioral health support, nutritious meals, and personal care items. CHS families partner with the Family Success Team in their center for goal setting, home visits, and connections to community resources.

CHS New Danville employs up to 60 teachers and staff members and operates year-round from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Since opening its first center in Hershey in 2023, CHS has expanded to four locations serving children and families across central Pennsylvania. The next planned Lancaster County locations include CHS Elizabethtown and CHS Lancaster City.

For more information, visit http://www.chslearn.org.