Child Care Services acquisitions in North Carolina: SBA loan data
Since FY2018, SBA lenders have approved 32 7(a) loans to buy an existing business classified as Child Care Services in North Carolina, totaling $73.2M. The median loan was $1,547,500. That is 2.0% of the 1,575 acquisition loans in North Carolina.
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How Child Care Services in North Carolina compares
| Measure | Child Care Services in North... | North Carolina, all industries | Child Care Services, nationwide | All acquisitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median loan | $1,547,500 | $800,000 | $763,300 | $645,250 |
| Middle half of loans | $798,950 to $3,362,625 | $350,000 to $1,800,000 | $368,750 to $1,619,500 | $283,000 to $1,465,000 |
| Average initial rate | 7.15% | 7.92% | 7.55% | 7.76% |
| Median term | 25 years | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Charge-off rate (seasoned loans) | n/a | 2.1% | 0.8% | 3.5% |
| Loans in sample | 32 | 1,575 | 850 | 48,902 |
The median for loans to buy daycares in North Carolina is $1,547,500, well above the $800,000 median for all North Carolina acquisitions, well above the $763,300 median for Child Care Services acquisitions nationwide and well above the $645,250 median for all SBA-financed acquisitions nationally.
The middle half runs $798,950 to $3,362,625, against $283,000 to $1,465,000 nationally; the median term is 25 years, longer than the national median of 10 years; the average initial rate is 7.15%, below the 7.76% national average.
Too few of these loans are old enough to measure a charge-off rate; the national rate for seasoned acquisition loans is 3.5%.
Loan size distribution
| Loan size | Child Care Services in North... | All acquisitions |
|---|---|---|
| Under $350K | 9% | 30% |
| $350K to under $1M | 19% | 33% |
| $1M to under $2M | 25% | 19% |
| $2M and over | 47% | 17% |
Most loans to buy daycares in North Carolina (72%) were $1M or more, and the largest single band is $2M and over at 47%, against 17% of all acquisition loans.
Bands are fixed dollar ranges chosen for comparison. They are not SBA program limits.
Lender concentration
Live Oak Banking Company made 19% of loans to buy daycares in North Carolina, and the top three lenders together made 38%. 4 of the 18 lenders involved made three or more. Repeat experience is spread across many banks. That is a rough guide to how many banks have seen this kind of deal before.
Recent activity
In FY2025 and FY2026 combined, 8 loans to buy daycares in North Carolina were approved. Fewer than 10 loans were approved in FY2023 and FY2024, so no change is computed. The median was $1,313,450, below the $1,547,500 median across all years.
Child Care Services acquisition loans in North Carolina by year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Total approved | Median loan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 3 | $10.6M | $3,350,000 | |
| FY2019 | 6 | $11.1M | $1,242,350 | |
| FY2020 | 3 | $8.9M | $3,292,800 | |
| FY2021 | 4 | $13.5M | $3,150,250 | |
| FY2022 | 3 | $3.7M | $710,000 | |
| FY2023 | 4 | $7.9M | $1,208,750 | |
| FY2024 | 1 | $5M | $5,000,000 | |
| FY2025 | 6 | $6.3M | $1,094,800 | |
| FY2026 | 2 | $6.2M | $3,101,550 |
How often do these acquisition loans fail?
Fewer than 20 Child Care Services in North Carolina acquisition loans are old enough to measure losses reliably, so no charge-off rate is shown. The benchmark across all SBA acquisition loans in the FY2018 to FY2021 cohort is 3.5% by count. Non-acquisition 7(a) loans (every other stated purpose) approved FY2018 to FY2021 charged off at 6.2%.
"Charged off" is the SBA's final loss action on a defaulted loan after collection efforts. It lags default by a year or more, which is why only older cohorts are measured. It is not the same as a delinquency rate, and loans still outstanding can still fail. See charge-off in the glossary.
Terms signed in the LOI shape the purchase agreement that follows.
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Top lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live Oak Banking Company | 6 | 18.8% | $23.4M | |
| 2 | America First Federal Credit Union | 3 | 9.4% | $8.7M | |
| 3 | HomeTrust Bank | 3 | 9.4% | $4.7M | |
| 4 | First Bank | 3 | 9.4% | $1.4M | |
| 5 | TowneBank | 2 | 6.3% | $2.6M |
Top franchise brands
| # | Franchise | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primrose Schools | 8 | 25.0% | $28.7M | |
| 2 | The Goddard School | 5 | 15.6% | $11.9M | |
| 3 | Kids 'R' Kids | 2 | 6.3% | $8.4M | |
| 4 | The Learning Experience | 2 | 6.3% | $3.1M | |
| 5 | Kiddie Academy | 1 | 3.1% | $2.7M |
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Questions buyers ask
How much do SBA loans for Child Care Services acquisitions in North Carolina run?
The median SBA 7(a) loan was $1,547,500 across 32 loans (FY2018 to FY2026), with the middle half between $798,950 and $3,362,625. The loan excludes the buyer's equity and any seller note and may include working capital, so the price is usually higher than the loan.
Which banks finance Child Care Services acquisitions in North Carolina?
Live Oak Banking Company (6), America First Federal Credit Union (3), HomeTrust Bank (3), First Bank (3), TowneBank (2). Some lenders repeatedly finance this industry in this state; the counts above show which.
How often do Child Care Services acquisition loans fail in North Carolina?
Fewer than 20 loans in this combination are old enough to measure losses reliably, so no rate is shown. The national benchmark for all SBA acquisition loans is 3.5% (FY2018 to FY2021 cohort).
Are franchised businesses part of Child Care Services acquisitions in North Carolina?
18 of the 32 loans (56%) involved a franchise brand, most often Primrose Schools (8).
How much do you need down for an SBA loan to buy a daycare in North Carolina?
The SBA requires the buyer to make an equity injection, commonly 10% of total project cost, and a lender may ask for more. The SBA file does not record injections, so the figures here are the financed portion: the median for loans to buy daycares in North Carolina was $1,547,500, and the middle half ran $798,950 to $3,362,625.
How long does an SBA acquisition loan take?
For a change-of-ownership 7(a) loan, 45 to 90 days from application to close is typical. It varies by lender and by how quickly third-party reports, such as the business valuation and appraisal, come back. The SBA file records approval dates, not application dates, so this site cannot measure it. Lenders approved 8 loans to buy daycares in North Carolina in FY2025 and FY2026.
Which banks make SBA loans for a daycare in North Carolina?
By loan count, FY2018 to FY2026: Live Oak Banking Company (6), America First Federal Credit Union (3), HomeTrust Bank (3), First Bank (3), TowneBank (2). Live Oak Banking Company made 19% of loans to buy daycares in North Carolina. Counts show past approvals only and do not predict whether a lender will approve a particular deal.
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Related
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Small samples move a lot: each loan in this combination is 3% of the count. Industry is the NAICS code the lender recorded. See the methodology.
Cite this data
SBA Acquisition Data, "Child Care Services in North Carolina: SBA acquisition loan data", https://sbaacquisitiondata.com/state/nc/child-care-services-624410 (data as of September 30, 2026). Source: U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loan file, data.sba.gov. Aggregated by SBA Acquisition Data.
The figures on this page are also published as JSON at https://sbaacquisitiondata.com/data/state/nc/child-care-services-624410.json.