Onondaga County Small Business of the Year: Birch Tree Montessori

Birch Tree Montessori provides comprehensive Montessori education to children ages 3 years to 6 years old.  Their school is in Warners, New York.  The mission of Birch Tree Montessori is to provide their students with a joyful experience in early learning.  They provide guidance to help the children discover their own unique interests and abilities. They encourage their students to grow into independent individuals who achieve their full potential and contribute in a positive manner to society.  Also, they offer curriculums with one-on-one and some small group lessons to meet individual levels and needs.  In the time since they opened, their school has become so popular that the school now has a waiting list!

The school is owned and run by Karyn Dieffenderfer and Rosemary Morgese.  Both are retired teachers with over 30 years of experience teaching kindergarten and first grade students.

Karyn & Rosemary were interested in starting a Montessori school once they retired from their previous teaching positions.  They did not have a physical location for their school when they began.  SBDC assisted clients with sourcing a location for the school.  They were unsure of the appropriate business structure for their school.  Additionally, Karyn & Rosemary needed access to legal assistance, accounting expertise and insurance assistance prior to opening the school.  They were interested in constructing a business plan and needed industry data regarding pricing and potential competition in Central New York.  Furthermore, they did not need to access external funding to establish the business.  

SBDC guided Karyn & Rosemary through the process of LLC formation.  They were able to take advantage of the SBDC research department which helped provide industry information, examples of tuition rates and competition in Central New York.  SBDC was able to assist them with the creation of their business plan, which provided the framework for achieving their dream.   Additionally, SBDC provided a list of business partners that helped clients source their location and provide accounting, insurance and legal guidance for their business.

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