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Milton Hershey School Professional Referrals

Partnering to Change Lives

Professional referrals open doors that may otherwise be closed. As a school counselor or social services professional, you transform lives every day. Milton Hershey School has a similar goal, to give low-income and working-class children the opportunity to be their greatest selves through a life-changing educational experience.

Extend your impact by connecting a child with MHS and inviting them to watch our On-Demand Virtual Open House.

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On-Demand Virtual Open House

This online resource allows professionals to hear from our MHS regional admissions recruiters about our school programming and admissions process. The guided event provides the perfect opportunity to see if MHS is the right fit for a child you know.

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Middle school students standing in front of school building

MHS: A School Like No Other

MHS is a cost-free, private school for boys and girls in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Milton and Catherine Hershey founded the school in 1909 with money they earned from the chocolate company. Since then, the lives of more than 10,000 children from low-income families have been transformed through high-quality education and structured home life.

Read Our StoryView Virtual Tour

Middle school student in a shop class

Who Qualifies?

MHS admits qualified students from low-income backgrounds. We work to identify all those in need of options, opportunities, and open doors. Criteria for enrollment include:

  • Come from a low-income family
  • Be 4-15 years old at the time of enrollment
  • Have the ability to learn at MHS
  • Be free of serious behavioral problems that would disrupt life in the classroom or student home at MHS
  • Be able to participate in and benefit from the MHS program

Get Details on Admissions CriteriaReview the Application Process

Resources for You

MHS has been successfully educating children from low-income backgrounds since 1909. Take advantage of our subject matter expertise and free resources for your team. Then, help us help more children by submitting professional referrals.

Individual Consultations

Schedule an individual consultation with one of our regional admissions recruiters to learn more about MHS and what we can offer your students.

Informational Webinars

Interested in learning more about MHS and the programs we offer our students? Inquire about scheduling an informational webinar, during which our admissions recruiters share valuable information about our school and the application process.

Professional Development Workshops

MHS offers Professional Development Workshops throughout the year—at a location near you or on-campus at MHS—to share subject matter expertise. Many of these sessions qualify for Continuing Education Credits. Contact us to schedule a workshop on topics including:

  • Chocolate and Poverty
  • Social, Emotional, and Character Development Foundations
  • Career Readiness in the 21st Century

Workshop Details

Chocolate & Poverty

Utilizing poverty statistics and the research of people such as Dr. Eric Jensen, Dr. Ruby Payne, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, and Dr. Paul Gorski, this workshop addresses the characteristics and traits of students/families in poverty. Topics include: the “hidden rules” among the classes, the behavior patterns of many in poverty, assessing resources available to families, and how economic realities affect daily living. The workshop will include video clips from the PBS documentary “People Like Us,” group discussion and exercises, and a lecture. Participants will receive handouts including the training outline and a listing of recommended resources.

SECD—Social, Emotional, and Character Development: A Fundamental Foundation

Social, emotional, and character development is critical to creating a safe and strong school climate. Research has proven that effective integration of SECD into school curriculum helps reduce behavior incidents, increases academic success, and enhances college and career-readiness skills in students. This introductory workshop addresses the importance of SECD, CASEL 5 components of SEL, and some simple implementations for educators.

Career Readiness in the 21st Century

Education has an impact on students and their ability to be prepared for the world of work. This workshop explores the history of career readiness and program effectiveness in addressing roadblocks through career development, social emotional learning, and career technical education. In addition to utilizing insights from researchers on needs of youth, participants will examine current workforce expectations and best practices as well as explore strategies for their communities.

To be prepared for the world of work in the 21st century, a student’s employability readiness is reliant on lessons learned in early years. The workshop outlines the history of CTE and imperative paradigm shift needed to have today’s youth equipped. Topics will outline applied knowledge, employability skills, and workplace experience. In addition to utilizing insights from research on career readiness, current best practices will be explored. The attendee will leave with practical applications in the school setting to better prepare youth for post-graduate plans.

Milton Hershey School professional counselors - Professional Referrals

Meet the MHS Team

MHS is looking to enroll even more children from low-income backgrounds. Our regional admissions recruiters lead prospective families through the enrollment journey each step of the way. They meet with individual families. They provide different connection points, or tools, to help families make an informed decision. Each student is assigned to a specific recruiter based on where they live.

Get to Know Our RecruitersReview Family ToolsHear From Our Thought Leaders

How to Talk about MHS

Making the choice to enroll a student at MHS is hard. Some families tell us they don’t know what to say to the important people in their lives. We can help you help them. Download our “How to Talk about MHS” flyer for professionals, or contact our regional admissions recruiters for additional resources. You can also share select videos or our full video library.

How to Talk to Loved Ones about MHS

Parents/sponsors are a very important part of the Milton Hershey School community. Their role in supporting children and communicating with staff makes possible each student’s potential.

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How to Parent from Afar

Whether parents/sponsors live a few minutes or a few states away from MHS, the support of parents/sponsors makes a difference in the lives of students, academically, socially, and emotionally.

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Raising Children Together

The relationship between MHS houseparents and parents/sponsors involves mutual respect and love. It’s a selfless friendship where everyone works together for the best interests of their kids.

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The Secret to Student Success at MHS

MHS parents/sponsors play a vital role in student success. Showing support and encouragement along each step of the way makes a big difference for each student’s personal and academic growth.

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Why Milton Hershey School?

Milton Hershey School dental employee

Caring for Student Needs

From housing to health care, almost everything a student could possibly need is taken care of on our campus by dedicated, committed professionals.

Elementary students learning in the classroom

Life-Changing Education

We want students to be their greatest selves. That’s why we invested in providing an incredible educational and extracurricular experience.

Students and their houseparents

Stable Living Environment

Our houseparents provide a loving, structured environment that gives students a stable home-like setting to help them thrive.

Hear from MHS Students

Who better to explain the MHS experience than our students? Hear from Milts themselves about how MHS has changed their lives.

Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning student with blocks.

Options for Younger Children

Know families in need with younger children? Discover Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning.

CHS is a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School. It provides a cost-free educational, social, and cognitive day program to children of lower income from birth to age 5. CHS Early Childhood Resource Centers are located across Pennsylvania. CHS was inspired by MHS and is operated independently of the MHS core model.

Milton Hershey School does not discriminate in admissions or other programs and services on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religious creed or disability. Read important MHS policies on equal opportunity and diversity, equal employment opportunity, and more.