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 children the opportunity to be their greatest selves through a life-changing educational experience.
Extend your impact by connecting a child with MHS or attending a Virtual Open House for professionals.
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 lower-income families have been transformed through high-quality education and structured home life.
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 family of lower income
- Be age four to 15 at the time of enrollment
- Have the ability to learn
- Be free of serious behavioral problems that would disrupt life in the classroom or the student home
- Be able to participate in and benefit from the school’s program
Get Details on Admissions CriteriaReview the Application Process
Meet the MHS Team
MHS is looking to enroll even more children from low-income backgrounds. Our admissions counselors lead prospective families through the enrollment journey, on average a nine-month process. 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 counselor based on where they live.
Review Family ToolsHow 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 admissions counselors 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.
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.
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.
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.
Why Milton Hershey School?
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.
Life-Changing Education
We want students to be their greatest selves. That’s why we invested in providing an incredible educational and extracurricular experience.
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.
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.