Lenders approved 1,145 SBA 7(a) loans worth $832.0 million to child care & early learning businesses in fiscal year 2025. This is what they borrowed, what it cost, how long they got to pay it back, and which institutions said yes.
The median approval was $350,000 against a national 7(a) median of $166,850. One in ten approvals in this sector exceeded $2,000,000, so the ceiling is a long way above the typical deal — but the typical deal is the honest expectation to plan around.
| Loan size | 7(a) loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $50K | 118 | 10.3% |
| $50K-$150K | 237 | 20.7% |
| $150K-$350K | 213 | 18.6% |
| $350K-$1M | 333 | 29.1% |
| $1M+ | 244 | 21.3% |
The median term approved was 120 months — about 10.0 years. Term is the lever that decides whether a payment is survivable; two lenders can offer the same money at the same rate and produce wildly different monthly numbers.
Median initial rate at approval: 10.0%, with the middle of the market between 7.5% and 12.25%, and 82.5% written on a variable rate. Historic, recorded at approval, across FY2025 — never a quote.
37.9% of these approvals went to businesses SBA classified as new — startups or under two years old — against 29.8% across all 7(a) lending. That is an unusually open sector for a first-time owner.
| Lender | Loans | Median size | Total approved |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 94 | $142,000 | $45.9 million |
| Northeast Bank | 83 | $95,000 | $14.6 million |
| Newtek Bank, National Association | 64 | $193,000 | $35.3 million |
| Readycap Lending, LLC | 48 | $347,500 | $40.2 million |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 45 | $1,200,000 | $83.5 million |
| TD Bank, National Association | 43 | $100,000 | $12.3 million |
| U.S. Bank, National Association | 32 | $90,000 | $16.0 million |
| Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 27 | $500,000 | $24.6 million |
| Bank of America, National Association | 25 | $688,000 | $23.1 million |
| Lendistry SBLC, LLC | 24 | $136,350 | $5.8 million |
| First Bank of the Lake | 21 | $609,500 | $34.8 million |
| BayFirst National Bank | 21 | $150,000 | $6.2 million |
Listed because the SBA publishes them; not a recommendation and not a guarantee of approval. Goldspur Capital is not affiliated with any lender named.
| State | Loans | Median loan |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 131 | $400,000 |
| California | 113 | $389,000 |
| Florida | 98 | $492,650 |
| New York | 66 | $122,500 |
| Illinois | 58 | $300,000 |
| Georgia | 55 | $680,000 |
| Ohio | 54 | $142,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 53 | $253,000 |
| New Jersey | 41 | $250,000 |
| Massachusetts | 36 | $75,000 |
| Business type (SBA NAICS description) | Loans | Median loan |
|---|---|---|
| Child Care Services | 1,145 | $350,000 |
| Fiscal year | Loans approved | Total approved | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 772 | $591.1 million | $400,000 |
| FY2024 | 975 | $662.6 million | $330,000 |
| FY2025 | 1,145 | $832.0 million | $350,000 |
| FY2026 (partial) | 627 | $588.1 million | $377,000 |
213 of these businesses used a 504 loan instead — the program for buying premises or long-life equipment at a long fixed rate — totalling $288.6 million at a median of $1,110,000. If your plan is to buy the building you operate from, that is usually the cheaper structure.
Take the median, not the maximum, as your working number. Check whether the lenders above match your size of deal before you apply anywhere — a $60,000 request at a bank whose median is $900,000 is a decline that says nothing about your business. And if SBA timelines do not fit what you are trying to do, the same file usually places faster on a term loan, a line of credit or equipment finance. Compare the programs.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan data (data.sba.gov), files as of 30 June 2026, read on 1 September 2026. Figures cover loan APPROVALS, not disbursements, and the files contain no declined applications — so no approval rate can be calculated from them. Fiscal year 2026 is partial (1 October 2025 to 30 June 2026). Aggregated by Goldspur Capital; borrower-level records are not published. Sector figures are aggregated from the NAICS code recorded on each loan. Program guidelines shown are our lending partners' published minimums as of September 2026 and can change. They are qualification floors, not an offer.
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