Catherine Hershey Schools Opens First Lancaster County Center

Catherine Hershey Schools (CHS) has inaugurated its first early learning center in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The CHS New Danville center, which opened Tuesday, is the organization's fourth facility of its initially planned six across the state.

The new 28,000-square-foot center is located at 393 Long Lane in Pequea Township. It is designed to serve 100 children, from six weeks to five years old, from under-resourced backgrounds, with all costs covered for qualifying families. The facility is at capacity upon opening, primarily serving families within the Penn Manor, Solanco, and Lampeter-Strasburg school districts.

The center, renovated from the former Lancaster Mennonite School campus, features modern classrooms, an Innovation Studio, a Family Success Center, and over 13,000 square feet of outdoor play space. The CHS program employs a play-based curriculum focusing on children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. Through a partnership with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, enrolled children gain access to health services, occupational and speech therapy, and behavioral health support.

CHS aims to expand to six centers as part of a $350 million initiative. With the addition of this New Danville center, CHS expects to serve up to 550 children during the 2026-27 school year across Dauphin and Lancaster counties. Further locations are planned in Elizabethtown and Lancaster City.