Milton Hershey School Announces Partnership with The Neighborhood Academy

Today, Milton Hershey School (MHS) announced a one-year affiliation with The Neighborhood Academy, a cost-free independent day school that currently serves 150 students in grades 6-12 from low-income families in Pittsburgh. MHS and The Neighborhood Academy share a commitment to helping children break the cycle of poverty with a whole-child approach to education. This partnership, like those Milton Hershey School, has had with other schools, allows MHS to leverage and expand its expertise and resources to serve an even greater number of disadvantaged children while collaborating and sharing best practices.

Like MHS, The Neighborhood Academy integrates education with health, wellness, character and leadership development, and other key services and resources that foster success in and out of the classroom. At The Neighborhood Academy, resources include a college preparatory curriculum with rigorous and comprehensive academics, year-round programming, three meals a day, transportation to and from school, counseling services for health and wellness, and continued support for alumni. Both MHS and The Neighborhood Academy understand the importance of guiding students toward their chosen college or career path by offering additional support and specific training.

For the next year, the schools will share a wide range of resources, including human capital, technical, and physical resources, as well as professional development for faculty and staff, recruitment efforts, and student programs. Milton Hershey School will provide some funding to The Neighborhood Academy that will support its programming.

Milton Hershey School has a history of sharing its expertise and collaborating with others in order to help serve a greater number of disadvantaged children. The school has had a similar partnership with Monument Academy in Washington, D.C., and currently has 17 signed memorandums of understanding with colleges and universities across Pennsylvania to strengthen graduates’ postsecondary experiences and improve college graduation outcomes for low-income students. By sharing what has brought MHS success with others who have made it their life’s work to counter the impact poverty has on children, the school is extending its founders’ proud legacy and mission even further.

Learn more about The Neighborhood Academy in the video below.