Thriving Through Expansion: How White Bear Montessori Partnered with Nido Marketing for Sustainable Growth

Key Highlights

• 55 Years of Excellence
• 4 Years of Partnership
• 72% Enrollment Growth
• Expansion of Facilities
• Streamlined Admissions Process
• Complete Marketing Plan
  

About White Bear Montessori School

Located in Gem Lake, Minnesota, White Bear Montessori has been a cornerstone of Montessori education for decades. In 2020, the school partnered with Nido Marketing to address challenges in maintaining stable enrollment and planning for sustainable growth.

Through Nido Marketing’s Complete Montessori Marketing Plan, White Bear Montessori transformed its operations, achieving remarkable results. This included:

• Modernizing their admissions process.
• Enhancing their digital presence.
• Expanding their facilities to accommodate more students.

The Challenge

Before partnering with Nido Marketing, White Bear Montessori faced significant challenges:

• Outdated enrollment processes relying on manual record-keeping.
• Limited ability to target specific age groups for enrollment gaps.
• A website and digital presence that didn’t fully showcase their Montessori programs.

While their enrollment was stable, the lack of a robust waitlist hindered long-term planning. They needed a strategic partner to modernize their approach and create sustainable growth opportunities.

The Solution: The Complete Plan

White Bear Montessori chose Nido Marketing’s Complete Plan to revolutionize their digital marketing and admissions approach. This comprehensive plan included:

1. Website Management: Nido’s team handled heavy-lifting web design changes and ensured White Bear Montessori’s site reflected their values and mission while making minor edits easy for their staff.

2. Paid Digital Advertising: Targeted Google Ads and Facebook campaigns generated quality leads and allowed the school to fill enrollment gaps efficiently.

3. CRM and Lead Management Software: The CRM became a cornerstone of their admissions process, automating email campaigns, organizing leads, and streamlining communication with prospective families.

4. Montessori Thrive Resources: Parent webinars, pre-written content, and marketing resources to support their ability to communicate the value of Montessori education effectively.

5. Montessori Content Services: Weekly blogs, newsletters, and social media posts created by a Montessori-trained guide ensured consistent and authentic communication with current and prospective families, strengthening their connection to the school’s mission and programs.

6. Unlimited Montessori Graphic Design Services:
Professional, on-demand graphic design for events, campaigns, and marketing materials allowed White Bear Montessori to maintain a polished, cohesive visual brand without the need for in-house design resources.

The Impact

We reached out to Marnie McPherson, Head of School, and Melissa Norton, Assistant Head of School to see how 4 years of their Nido Marketing partnership has impacted their community and helped them achieve their growth and admissions goals, here is what she had to share with us. 

Enrollment Growth

From 2020 to 2024, White Bear Montessori experienced a 72% increase in enrollment, enabling them to:

• Balance age groups across programs.
• Attract mission-appropriate families.
• Establish a healthy waitlist for the first time in years.

"We have not seen enrollment this robust since the early 2000s. This year, we added staffing to accommodate more full-day toddlers, a fourth Children’s House, and ample space to grow our Elementary program, something we never imagined four years ago."

An Optimized Admissions Process

The admissions CRM transformed their admissions and enrollment process, allowing them to better communicate with families every step of the way. 

"Our enrollment process is unrecognizable when you compare our previous methods, which included keeping printed emails in a 3-ring binder with handwritten notes, which were often incomplete, or unusable over the long term. We've successfully utilized CRM to manage leads and build relationships with prospective families. Honestly, we are not sure how we could function without a CRM now. We have experienced a steady increase in enrollment and retention over the last four years, and we credit Nido Marketing for helping us get there. We have also been able to be more intentional in enrolling children to have balanced age ranges across all levels and have more mission-appropriate families as part of our community. The content provided by Nido Marketing is beneficial for sharing important information about a Montessori education with future and current families. While we edit and change content to match our "voice," it is so helpful to have the basic information for inspiration."

Expansion and New Facilities

In 2024, White Bear Montessori celebrated the opening of a building expansion dedicated to their growing Elementary program. This milestone marked a new chapter in the school’s history.

"When we took the step to use the Complete Plan Nido provided, our enrollment was stable but not growing. We never had more than a handful of children on a waitlist. What made our decision to build a 5,400-square-foot expansion, including adding a 4th Children's House and ample space for our Elementary program to grow, was that we were entering our 4th year with a healthy waitlist. Our board of directors believed that our partnership with Nido Marketing would continue to produce results that maintained a steady interest and enrollment in our school."

Event Success

White Bear Montessori experienced a significant growth in leads and was able to host a very successful event to celebrate their 55 years. They had almost 400 current families, alumni familes, prospective families, current and former staff, and Montessorians from all across the Twin Cities.

"We would not have taken these bold growth steps had we not partnered with Nido when we did. While in some ways it felt like an instant explosion of leads, our growth toward expansion resulted from four intense years of quality leads and well-managed processes while being thoughtful in our desire to be a high-touch, welcome school community to further retention."

School Expansion Journey

Through years of dedication to providing high-quality Montessori education and a focused effort to improve their marketing and admissions processes, White Bear Montessori has achieved remarkable growth and expansion. Their journey reflects a commitment to their mission and community. Nido Marketing is thrilled to have played a part in this expansion, it is so rewarding to partner with such incredible schools doing so much to uplift their community.

Starting at their original location in 1969, the school relocated in 1997 to their current building, which was thoughtfully redesigned to support their growing programs. Over the years, as their enrollment flourished, White Bear Montessori took bold steps to expand further. In 2024, the school underwent a significant construction project to add new Elementary wing, including a fourth Children's House and additional toddler spaces, to meet the needs of their thriving community. The result is a beautifully completed campus that stands as a testament to their vision for the future of Montessori education. See the journey below!

Here is WBMS' first location, where they remained from 1969-1997

Above, you see the students and families breaking ground on WBMS' new building in 1998.

After years of success and growth, in 2024 WBMS designed and built an extension to their existing campus to make room for more students and programs. 

This expansion will allow WBMS to offer amazing Montessori programs to a wider community. 

Conclusion

White Bear Montessori’s partnership with Nido Marketing exemplifies how strategic digital marketing and admissions tools can transform a school’s operations and pave the way for sustainable growth. From modernizing their processes to driving enrollment and enabling expansion, White Bear Montessori is thriving—and Nido Marketing is proud to have been a part of their journey.

A special thank you to Melissa, Marnie and the amazing team at White Bear Montessori School for your partnership and for sharing your school growth story. 

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