Milton Hershey School Releases White Paper: "How Schools Can Help Break the Cycle of Poverty"

HERSHEY, Pa., March 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Milton Hershey School® (MHS), a tuition-free, private boarding school serving preK-12 students facing extreme poverty released a new white paper, "How Schools Can Help Break the Cycle of Poverty: A Whole Child Approach." The white paper offers unique insight reflecting the school's more than 100 years of experience in providing students from low-income families with a high quality education, career technical training and additional resources that help them thrive physically and mentally, as well as academically. MHS developed the white paper as a way to share its best practices with other schools about how to help improve the health, well-being and life skills for children from poverty.

"Milton Hershey School's work to serve children from low-income backgrounds has yielded substantial evidence that delivering a holistic educational experience to students produces significant and often life-changing benefits – providing our students with a strong foundation for the future," said MHS President Pete Gurt, who is himself an alumnus of the school. "All schools, whether private or public, have an important opportunity to share knowledge, including best practices and solutions they have developed to overcome challenges associated with educating children from poverty."

While MHS is first and foremost an academic institution, the school has long recognized that the hardships associated with poverty extend beyond the classroom, and has committed unprecedented resources to ensuring the physical and mental health and wellbeing of its 2,000 students. During the 2014-2015 school year, the school's medical team provided more than 30,000 primary care services for its students. This year, MHS will spend nearly $12 million for student health services.

For a copy of the white paper, as well as more details about Milton Hershey School and its health and wellness services, please visit mhskids.org.

ABOUT MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL
Milton Hershey School is a cost-free, private, coeducational home and school for children from families of low income. The School is funded by a trust established by Milton S. Hershey and his wife Catherine. Milton Hershey School offers a positive, structured home life year-round and an excellent pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education. Our vision focuses on building character and providing children with the skills necessary to be successful in all aspects of life. Visit mhskids.org to learn more.

Contact: Keri Straub, Senior Media Relations Manager for Milton Hershey School
(717) 520-2212 or [email protected]

SOURCE Milton Hershey School

Related Links

http://mhskids.org