Child Care Services acquisitions in Pennsylvania: SBA loan data
Since FY2018, SBA lenders have approved 30 7(a) loans to buy an existing business classified as Child Care Services in Pennsylvania, totaling $32.9M. The median loan was $460,000. That is 1.7% of the 1,765 acquisition loans in Pennsylvania.
- Loans, FY2018-FY2026
- 30
- Median loan
- $460,000 (middle half $233,750 to $1,519,000)
- Top lender
- Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB (10%, 3 loans)
- FY2026 loans (latest complete year)
- 7
SBA lenders approved 30 7(a) loans to buy a business classified as Child Care Services in Pennsylvania from FY2018-FY2026, with a median of $460,000 and a middle half of $233,750 to $1,519,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB made 10% of them. FY2026 had 7 loans.
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How Child Care Services in Pennsylvania compares
| Measure | Child Care Services in... | Pennsylvania, all industries | Child Care Services, nationwide | All acquisitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median loan | $460,000 | $535,000 | $763,300 | $645,250 |
| Middle half of loans | $233,750 to $1,519,000 | $229,000 to $1,282,000 | $368,750 to $1,619,500 | $283,000 to $1,465,000 |
| Average initial rate | 8.89% | 7.94% | 7.55% | 7.76% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Charge-off rate (seasoned loans) | n/a | 2.1% | 0.8% | 3.5% |
| Loans in sample | 30 | 1,765 | 850 | 48,902 |
The median for loans to buy daycares in Pennsylvania is $460,000, slightly below the $535,000 median for all Pennsylvania acquisitions, below the $763,300 median for Child Care Services acquisitions nationwide and below the $645,250 median for all SBA-financed acquisitions nationally.
The middle half runs $233,750 to $1,519,000, against $283,000 to $1,465,000 nationally; the median term is 10 years, the same as the national median; the average initial rate is 8.89%, above 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... | All acquisitions |
|---|---|---|
| Under $350K | 37% | 30% |
| $350K to under $1M | 33% | 33% |
| $1M to under $2M | 10% | 19% |
| $2M and over | 20% | 17% |
Most loans to buy daycares in Pennsylvania (70%) were under $1M, and the largest single band is Under $350K at 37%, against 30% of all acquisition loans.
Bands are fixed dollar ranges chosen for comparison. They are not SBA program limits.
Lender concentration
Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB made 10% of loans to buy daycares in Pennsylvania, and the top three lenders together made 30%. 3 of the 18 lenders involved made three or more. Only 3 lenders have repeat experience here. That is a rough guide to how many banks have seen this kind of deal before.
Recent activity
In FY2025 and FY2026 combined, 16 loans to buy daycares in Pennsylvania were approved. Fewer than 10 loans were approved in FY2023 and FY2024, so no change is computed. The median was $664,500, well above the $460,000 median across all years.
Child Care Services acquisition loans in Pennsylvania by year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Total approved | Median loan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 2 | $4M | $2,020,750 | |
| FY2019 | 3 | $4.2M | $535,000 | |
| FY2020 | 1 | $220K | $220,000 | |
| FY2021 | 2 | $1.1M | $572,500 | |
| FY2022 | 0 | $0 | - | |
| FY2023 | 1 | $420K | $420,000 | |
| FY2024 | 5 | $2.5M | $400,000 | |
| FY2025 | 9 | $8.8M | $500,000 | |
| FY2026 | 7 | $11.5M | $760,000 |
How often do these acquisition loans fail?
Fewer than 20 Child Care Services in Pennsylvania 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.
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Top lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB | 3 | 10.0% | $8.1M | |
| 2 | Live Oak Banking Company | 3 | 10.0% | $2.9M | |
| 3 | Truliant FCU | 3 | 10.0% | $1.6M | |
| 4 | Pinnacle Bank | 2 | 6.7% | $8.8M | |
| 5 | Citizens Bank, National Association | 2 | 6.7% | $2.9M |
Top franchise brands
| # | Franchise | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Goddard School | 2 | 6.7% | $8.8M |
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Questions buyers ask
How much do SBA loans for Child Care Services acquisitions in Pennsylvania run?
The median SBA 7(a) loan was $460,000 across 30 loans (FY2018 to FY2026), with the middle half between $233,750 and $1,519,000. 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 Pennsylvania?
Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB (3), Live Oak Banking Company (3), Truliant FCU (3), Pinnacle Bank (2), Citizens Bank, National Association (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 Pennsylvania?
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 Pennsylvania?
4 of the 30 loans (13%) involved a franchise brand, most often The Goddard School (2).
How much do you need down for an SBA loan to buy a daycare in Pennsylvania?
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 Pennsylvania was $460,000, and the middle half ran $233,750 to $1,519,000.
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 16 loans to buy daycares in Pennsylvania in FY2025 and FY2026.
Which banks make SBA loans for a daycare in Pennsylvania?
By loan count, FY2018 to FY2026: Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB (3), Live Oak Banking Company (3), Truliant FCU (3), Pinnacle Bank (2), Citizens Bank, National Association (2). Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB made 10% of loans to buy daycares in Pennsylvania. Counts show past approvals only and do not predict whether a lender will approve a particular deal.
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Related
- All Pennsylvania acquisitions
- Financing one? How to get an SBA loan to buy a child care center
- Child Care Services nationally
- Child Care Services in Florida
- Child Care Services in Texas
- Child Care Services in Georgia
- Child Care Services in California
- Child Care Services in New Jersey
- Child Care Services in Colorado
- Child Care Services in North Carolina
- Child Care Services in Ohio
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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 Pennsylvania: SBA acquisition loan data", https://sbaacquisitiondata.com/state/pa/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/pa/child-care-services-624410.json.