Houseparents | A Career Worth Every Minute
Houseparenting: Make a Difference
Milton Hershey School employs over 200 houseparent couples to work together and live with a group of students over several years. A houseparent’s role is to be there as each child grows up and be someone they can trust. They teach skills and values outside of the classroom to help them succeed.
We offer both full-time and part-time employment opportunities. Register for an upcoming webinar and in-person open house or contact a houseparent recruiter to learn more about this impactful role.
What It Takes
Our goal is to help ensure you have everything you need to have the greatest possible impact. Being a houseparent is a huge responsibility and the requirements of the job are rigorous. But it’s an equally great opportunity to change the lives of young people.
If you are dedicated to impacting children’s lives, we encourage you to explore the houseparenting role. The application process for houseparent positions is lengthy. Over the course of several months, you will have the opportunity to learn about the position and assess if it’s an opportunity that fits you and your spouse.
Daily Life as Houseparents
The houseparent role gives married couples the opportunity to provide a consistent, family-like structure students can rely on. Daily houseparent responsibilities include transporting students to and from school, ordering groceries and cooking, managing chores, and more.
Tour HomesTake a Virtual Campus Tour
Becoming a full-time houseparent means building a life in the welcoming community of Hershey, Pennsylvania. You’ll find lots to discover when you live, work, and play in the town built on chocolate.
Explore a Houseparent Apartment
Drag to see a 360-degree view of a houseparent apartment attached to a student home. Then, click to engage with interactive content.
Why Become Houseparents?
Houseparents are passionate about the critical role they play in supporting our students. It’s so much more than a job—it’s a purpose.
How Your New Career Begins
Once you and your spouse apply to be houseparents, our team of recruiters will review your joint application. You’ll go through a series of phone and in-person interviews together and an extensive background check. Then, you’ll receive a final hire letter with details about onboarding.
Download the Journey Map (PDF)
When training as MHS houseparents, you will shadow experienced houseparents to learn more about the role and best practices. When training concludes, you will start managing student homes when other houseparents take time off. The insights you learn during this time will prove invaluable once you’re permanently assigned to a student home of your own.
Part-Time Weekend Houseparents
MHS hires relief houseparents who work every other weekend, beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday and ending at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. While on duty, relief houseparents have access to all meals and a private apartment attached to the student home for family time.
Meet the Houseparents
There are over 200 houseparent couples at MHS. Their experiences are as rich and diverse as the backgrounds that brought them here. What they have in common is a desire to make a positive, lasting impact in students’ lives, and an understanding that their own lives will be forever changed.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
Milton Hershey School does not discriminate in hiring, promotion or any terms or conditions of employment, on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion or religious creed, veteran status, disability or any other status protected under applicable federal or Pennsylvania law.
Accessibility
If you are having trouble viewing any webpages on mhskids.org or completing an online MHS job application, please call 717-520-2000 or email mhs-communications@mhs-pa.org for support.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re sure you want to know even more about houseparenting. Check out answers to some common questions.
Other Ways to Serve at MHS
Houseparenting isn’t the right fit for everyone. But if you still want to serve our students, check out our other job openings.