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Hershey Preschool

The Children’s Center of Central PA

The early childhood years should provide a strong foundation for children to develop the skills and confidence necessary to become successful students.  The Children’s Center of Central Pennsylvania (PA) Hershey Preschool recognizes families as the key influence in a young child’s life.  Our program is designed to not only stimulate children and help them to develop the necessary language, skills, and knowledge to expand beyond the home, but also to support parents of a child with hearing loss.

We believe in a student-centered approach to teaching and learning.  We value children, families, and the diversity of individuals within our community.  We prepare students to think creatively and collaboratively, to work to the best of their ability, and to develop responsibility and curiosity.  We promote a love of learning!

Our curriculum is aligned with Common Core Standards.  It is a year-round program with scheduled breaks in June and August.  Small class sizes allow for individualized, student-centered instruction in child-friendly classrooms.   Thematic-based materials promote learning through play and support the development of vocabulary and language both signed and spoken.

Parents and families play a very important role in each child’s education.  We offer parental support and opportunities for family involvement through a variety of programs and workshops throughout the year at our Camp Hill outreach office located at 3820 Hatzdale Drive.

Our Program

Our curriculum is aligned with Pennsylvania Standards.  It is a year-round program with scheduled breaks in June and August.  Small class sizes allow for individualized, child-center instruction in child-friendly classrooms.   Thematic-based materials promote learning through play and support the development of vocabulary and language.

Our Communication Philosophy

The Children’s Center of Central PA Hershey Preschool is designed for children ages 3 to school age with hearing loss.  Our All-Inclusive Communication Environment allows for barrier-free communication between teacher and student.  We provide instruction in American Sign Language (ASL), Spoken English, and Sign-Supported English. The method of instruction depends upon the student’s individual needs.  Whatever each individual student needs, we provide! The student always comes first!

Our Student

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and families. We love the diverse and unique characteristics that each child brings to our classroom. The Scranton School serves students with cochlear implants, hearing aids, and no amplification. Some students speak, some sign, and some do both! We believe each child is unique and it is our responsibility to identify their specific academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and tailor our program to meet their needs. We provide research-based instruction, social activities, physical education class, and state of the art technology to achieve stated goals for each child.

Our Staff

Our teachers and support staff are specifically trained to work with deaf and hard of hearing children and include: certified Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Certified Speech-Language Pathologists, and additional support staff including Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists.  Our staff is supervised by Mr. Kevin McDonough, M.A, M.Ed., Chief Academic Officer of The Scranton School for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children.  We invite you to visit the Children’s Center of Central Pennsylvania and meet our staff and students.  The school is located at 305 West Arena Avenue, Hershey PA 17033.


For more information or for a tour, please contact:

Jessica Marks
jmarks@wpsd.org or 717-909-5577


Download the program’s brochure
Hershey Pre-School Brochure