Early Childhood Education Loans

We provide loans and technical assistance for private, nonprofit, home and center based early childhood educators because quality facilities are an essential component of early childhood education.

We are especially interested in early childhood education programs that serve infants and toddlers, children from low and moderate income households and children with special needs.

Loan Guidelines

We make loans to early childhood education programs that:
- Operate under the regulations of the Vermont Child Care Licensing Division
- Are licensed centers, or registered and licensed homes (or in process)
- Participate, or plan to participate, in STARS, Vermont's child care quality recognition program
- Improvements to meet Vermont Core Standards, state regulatory requirements or ADA accessibility standards
- Facility purchase
- Facility renovations to improve program quality and increase capacity
- Purchase of equipment and materials
The current maximum loan amount will not exceed $350,000.
Collateral is required on fixed assets, inventory and receivables. VCLF may also require security in the form of personal guarantees, collateral on personal assets or a cosigner.
- Interest rates as low as 7.5%.
- Term, rate and repayment schedule is project specific and based on project focus, potential for social impact and the strength of your application. Amortization ranges from several months up to 30 years.
- There is an application fee of $60. An origination fee totaling 1% of the total loan amount and a loan documentation fee of $215 are due upon closing. Expenses incurred for the recording of collateral documentation and anticipated discharges of such documentation are also due at closing.
We encourage you to speak with us before submitting a loan application. Please complete the form below, contact us at admin@vclf.org, or call us at 802-223-1448.

women sitting at a table having a conversation

Want to make your voice heard?

The Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance, a program of VCLF, is an advocacy coalition aiming to improve public policy affecting young children in matters of health, safety, nutrition, economic security and early childhood education.

The Alliance works with early childhood professionals and providers, parents, employers and other stakeholders and organizations to craft an annual legislative agenda of early childhood priorities, providing year-round advocacy support to facilitate meaningful interactions with policymakers at key times during the decision-making process.

Meet the Alliance

Need more than a loan?

Our Business Resource Center provides free advising and technical assistance to help you apply for one of our loans — plus ongoing support once you're a borrower.