Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning Celebrates the Holiday Season

Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning embraced the holiday spirit and celebrated the season both with the CHS and broader community through various activities across locations this season.

CHS Hershey and Harrisburg, the first two operating CHS Centers, each held holiday celebrations at the centers with enrolled children and families partaking in crafts, photo booths, and games.

Holiday Fun at CHS Hershey

The Family Success Team at CHS Hershey held its holiday celebration in the Gross Motor Room, an expansive play area designed to support exploratory play outside the classroom.

Four Milton Hershey School students helped children enjoy the festivities at the CHS Hershey holiday celebration. The high schoolers will return to CHS this spring as interns through the Career and Technical Education program at MHS.

CHS Hershey Curriculum and Instruction Coaches with the traveling holiday cafe. (Photo courtesy of CHS Hershey)

CHS children decorated wooden winter ornaments. (Photo courtesy of CHS Hershey)

CHS children decorated holiday drawings, including a snowman. (Photo courtesy of CHS Hershey)

CHS children experienced many different holiday activities, including peppermint-scented playdough. (Photo courtesy of CHS Hershey)

The Family Success Team at CHS Hershey threw a holiday celebration for enrolled children and families. MHS students lent a helping hand! (Photo courtesy of MHS)

Children also participated in holiday-themed activities inside the classroom throughout the month including decorating wooden ornaments to share with each other, coloring snowmen pictures together, and playing with peppermint-scented playdough.

Curriculum and Instruction Coaches at CHS Hershey created a traveling holiday café, taking different holiday treats and drinks to the classrooms to honor our team of passionate educators.

CHS Harrisburg Creates Magical Candyland

At CHS Harrisburg, the Family Success Team created a winter “Candyland” atmosphere in the Family Success Center where enrolled families and children participated in holiday activities.

A CHS Harrisburg family takes a photo in “Candyland.” (Photo courtesy of CHS Harrisburg)

CHS children created their own gingerbread houses on Gingerbread House Day. (Photo courtesy of CHS Harrisburg)

Children at CHS Harrisburg celebrated National Gingerbread House Day, using their creativity to personalize gingerbread houses with stickers during a separate activity set up by the Family Success Team earlier in the month.

CHS Harrisburg staff also volunteered at a holiday community event providing winter arts and crafts.

CHS Middletown has Breakfast with Santa

As part of its nearly year-long, paid professional development program, CHS Middletown assisted MHS Elementary Division staff during its Breakfast with Santa event, which included reindeer games, movies, and special guests from the North Pole.

Happy Holidays from CHS

CHS also had trees on display at Hershey Gardens and Hersheypark! CHS Hershey children decorated snowflake ornaments for the Christmas Tree Showcase at Hershey Gardens and CHS Harrisburg children decorated block/gift ornaments for TREEville at the Boardwalk in Hersheypark.

At CHS, no matter the time of year, we believe that exploration and play are the best and most effective ways to learn, so our program is designed to be child-centered and hands-on with a focus on social emotional learning and physical, cognitive, and language development.

Outside of the classroom, our program provides an opportunity for families not only to relive the financial stress of childcare, but also to partner with our Family Success Team to advance other important areas of their lives. Through a dedicated on-site Family Success Center, educational workshops, and engaging activities, families are an active part of a child’s enrollment at CHS.

The holiday season gives us a special time to highlight our unique approaches and celebrate the CHS community of children, families, and staff. From all of us at CHS, we hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday season!