Sarah Jane Bernhardt-Clifford owns the Gymnastics Training Center (see profile in this week's Small Business Person of the Year supplement).  She said the move will mean almost six times more space for the preschool program - from 4,000 square feet at its present location to 22,000 square feet in its new one.

The hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. typically have been slow for the Gymnastics Training Center, as most of its students are school-age.  By acquiring Fit by Five, Bernhardt-Clifford hopes to fill her gym during these hours.

When she opened the Gymnastics Training Center in 1994, Bernhardt-Clifford included a preschool program in the gym's offerings. It is much different from the one at Fit by Five, however.  Youngsters come to the Gymnastics Training Center for 45 minutes of instruction in gymnastics or dance; at Fit by Five, they attend a three-hour program three times a week.

The Fit by Five philosophy focuses on general physical activity for children, and Bernhardt-Clifford intends to maintain the same type of program at the Gymnastics Training Center.

Bernhardt-Clifford declined to disclose details of the acquisition, but said all assets of Fit by Five of Rochester will be transferred to the Gymnastics Training Center, including the staff.

"All the staff have been invited to continue their employment," she said.