FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — The economic realities of poverty, current resources available to poor families and other topics will be the focus of an upcoming poverty workshop in Franklin.

Child Development Centers, Inc. (CDC) and Milton Hershey School are co-sponsoring the “Chocolate and Poverty” workshop, which is set for Wednesday, March 14, at CDC’s Seventh Street Head Start (former Seventh Street Elementary School) in Franklin.

Workshop participants may attend either from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., with lunch provided at 11:30 a.m. for anyone who attends either the morning or afternoon session.

Milton Hershey School admissions counselor Stacey Spangenberg will be the speaker for the free workshop, which is intended for educators, human service professionals, clergy, court personnel, and others who work with economically disadvantaged individuals and families.

In addition to the realities of poverty and resources for poor families, Ms. Spangenberg will provide an introduction to the Milton Hershey School for low-income families and will address “hidden rules” among classes of people, behavioral patterns associated with poverty, and strategies for working with economically disadvantaged households.

Her presentation will be based in part on statistical data and the research of poverty experts Eric Jensen, Ph.D., Ruby Payne, Ph.D., Jonathan Kozol, and others.

Lecture, group discussion, and exercises, and video clips from the PBS documentary “People Like Us” also will be part of the workshop.

Individuals can register or learn more by contacting the CDC office at 814-670-0838, or they can register online at www.cdcenters.org.