Our nonprofit recently changed its name from “The Birchtree Center” to “Birchtree.” This new name reflects our organization’s decades of growth and community-wide impact.
When our nonprofit first opened its doors in 2002 as “The Birchtree Center for Children,” we were a tiny nonprofit school serving just three children with autism. Our little school expanded rapidly to meet a rising need for individualized autism education. In 2007, we shortened our name to “The Birchtree Center” to reflect our school’s growth to serve children and youth with autism.
By the mid 2020s, however, our staff and board leadership determined that an even shorter name – simply “Birchtree” – would be a better fit. Our nonprofit’s work was no longer confined to a single school building. Birchtree’s impact was reaching public schools, families, and communities in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts.
And yet potential clients were often surprised to learn that our nonprofit offered an Outreach Program providing ABA consultation and services across New England. People naturally assumed that all the services of “The Birchtree Center” must be confined to a single physical location.
After much consideration, Birchtree’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to update the name of our nonprofit to better reflect its evolution. The board filed to change our organization’s legal name to “Birchtree” in March of 2026.
Birchtree’s name celebrates our organization’s roots on the New Hampshire Seacoast dating back to 2001. Our founder named our nonprofit that year after New Hampshire’s state tree, the white birch. The shallow-rooted birch tree often grows in clusters to survive. Likewise, people with autism and other diverse abilities are more likely to thrive when they’re surrounded by supportive family, teachers, and community members.
Over its 23-year history, Birchtree has built a large and impactful community of support. The organization now serves 600+ individuals per year, including children, youth, and adults with autism and other diverse abilities – as well as their family members, caregivers, and school/agency staff. The behavior experts in Birchtree’s Outreach Program travel 100,000+ miles per year across New England to help individuals with autism and other diverse abilities to succeed in their public schools, family homes, and communities.
Although Birchtree’s name has changed, our nonprofit’s mission remains the same. We continue to provide personalized education and outreach programs that promote inclusion, independence, and holistic growth for individuals with autism and other diverse abilities.
We’re grateful to the incredible clients, families, staff, board members, volunteers, and donors who have helped our nonprofit to flourish. As Birchtree approaches its 25th anniversary, we’re proud to celebrate our organization’s decades of impact with a shorter and more fitting name.