Attorney Robert Heist earned his juris doctor from the University of Illinois John Marshall Law School. In addition to his role as the principal attorney of R. Connor & Associates with offices in Chicago, Boston and Minnesota, Robert Heist is an active life-time alumnus of the Milton Hershey School. Mr. Heist recently served as the Chairman of the Board of Managers of Milton Hershey School which provides K-12 cost-free residential education for low income families in need as well as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hershey Trust Company, which serves as the Trustee of the $18 Billion trust that funds Milton Hershey School.
Under Mr. Heist's leadership and direction when he was Chairman of the Boards, Milton Hershey School is now expanding its mission to serve children from low income communities, ages 0-5, with a comprehensive early childhood learning curriculum at the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Childhood Learning. Capitalizing on his passion for helping children and families in low income communities combined with his business acumen and legal expertise, Mr. Heist led the strategic initiative that resulted in a court order in 2020 permitting the Trust to expend $350 million for the early childhood learning initiative. This initiative encompasses a broad array of socioemotional learning opportunities on a cost-free basis for young children ages 0-5 growing up in low income communities. In 2020, the Orphans Court in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania approved Milton Hershey School's new initiative to launch six Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning Early Childhood Resource Centers (ECRCs) for currently underserved children and families living in low income communities. A year later, hiring of appropriate early childhood education experts is underway and construction has begun on the first center in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. The process is expected to take 2 years and will culminate in a facility exceeding 50,000 square feet. When completed, the ECRC will educate 150 children between 0 and 5 years old. The early childhood learning program will include a robust curriculum focusing on social-emotional and academic development. Students attending the Milton Hershey School high school program will also gain hands-on experience in early childhood education through career exploration programs based at these ECRCs.
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