Raising Your Family at Milton Hershey School
Houseparenting is a Family Choice
Houseparenting is more than a job—it’s a lifestyle choice for the entire family. At Milton Hershey School, your children are part of the fabric of the student home experience. Houseparent children live with you in your private apartment and are encouraged to participate in student home activities. For many families, this role becomes a shared calling and adventure.
Yes, Your Family Lives with You
Houseparent couples may have up to three dependent children living with them in their private apartment.
Your children will:
- Live in your private apartment attached to (or near) the student home
- Eat meals in the student home while you are on duty
- Participate in day-to-day life and many home activities with MHS students
- Are encouraged to join outings and experiences with students
Houseparent families are part of the broader MHS community. Your children grow up in an environment where relationships, responsibility, and service are part of daily life.
School Options for Your Children
In keeping with our Deed of Trust, children of houseparents do not attend Milton Hershey School. Instead, families typically choose from:
- Derry Township School District or Lower Dauphin School District (exceptional public school systems)
- Other private schools in the area
- Charter, cyber, or homeschool options
Central Pennsylvania offers a range of educational opportunities to support your family’s needs.
Growing Up in an Inclusive Community
Being a houseparent is a decision made by the entire family. Like many unique career paths—such as military service, missionary work, or entrepreneurship—houseparenting requires alignment, communication, and shared purpose.
Children of houseparents grow up in a close-knit campus community surrounded by supportive adults and peers. Many describe the students in their home as “bonus siblings.” They learn adaptability, empathy, leadership, and resilience simply by living within a mission-driven environment.
For families who feel called to this role, this lifestyle can be deeply meaningful and rewarding.
Meet the Houseparents
There are over 250 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.
A Schedule Designed for Balance
Houseparents follow a 9-days-on / 3-days-off schedule, which includes:
- Three consecutive days off duty
- Unscheduled time during school hours (typically 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Mon. – Fri.)
- Breaks throughout the year
- Three weeks of vacation during summer months
Houseparents often use this time to:
- Volunteer in their children’s classroom
- Participate in houseparent social groups
- Attend extracurricular events
- Travel or visit extended family
- Enjoy time together off campus
As houseparents, you’ll enjoy a schedule that supports being intentional with the time you spend as a family.
