St. Louis Child-Care Center Serves Families Through Growth and Crisis with CDFI Financing
Client: Williams Academy STL
Client Location: St. Louis, MO
CDFI: Justine PETERSEN
CDFI Service Area: St. Louis, MO
Small business financing for child care and early education
Williams Academy STL is a child-care and early education center located in North City, a community in St. Louis, Missouri. Their Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) program gives students a hands-on opportunity to explore the world at their fingertips. After experiencing rapid enrollment growth, the school faced challenges accessing affordable funds due to the historically underserved nature of its community. Justine PETERSEN stepped in with mission-driven financing, enabling Williams Academy to strengthen its operations and maintain staffing during a critical time.
More Than a School
Williams Academy is a Montessori-style childcare and early education center serving children from 6 months to 13 years old in St. Louis. Founded three years ago by David Williams and business partner Yonnick Jones, the school was built on a simple but powerful belief: when families, educators, and children show up consistently, long-term growth follows.
As enrollment increased to upwards of 100 children served daily, Williams Academy reached a critical growth point. Like many small child-care providers operating in historically underinvested communities, the school faced challenges accessing affordable capital through traditional financial institutions, and despite steady demand, deep community trust, and a proven operating model, there was something that needed to be done.
Justine PETERSEN accessed SBA Community Advantage and CDFI Rapid Response Program funds to provide mission-driven financing that helped Williams Academy strengthen day-to-day operations, maintain staffing, and continue serving families during a period of both growth and crisis.
Capital That Stabilizes Essential Community Infrastructure
Child care is foundational infrastructure for working families, yet providers in low-income and historically disinvested communities are frequently overlooked by mainstream lenders. Limited collateral, thin margins, and perceptions of risk often prevent child-care centers from accessing the capital they need to grow or even remain open.
CDFI financing allowed Williams Academy to remain financially stable and operationally consistent, particularly critical after a tornado impacted more than half of the families the school serves. While many households faced housing instability and disruption, Williams Academy remained open, providing continuity, safety, and routine for children and parents alike.
“Even after the storm, our families kept showing up. The school became an anchor.”
– Yonnick Jones, co-founder of Williams Academy
A Systemic Insight: Child-Care Providers and the Credit Gap
Williams Academy’s experience reflects a national challenge: child-care providers are essential to economic participation, yet they often operate without access to flexible, affordable financing. When disasters strike, these providers are expected to function as stabilizing forces, even though some are left without the financial tools typically afforded to other forms of infrastructure.
CDFIs play a critical role in closing this gap by recognizing child care as both an economic driver and a community anchor. Federal investment in CDFIs enables lending models that account for social impact, resilience, and long-term returns—not just short-term balance sheets.
Through consistent support, responsible capital, and a deep commitment to community, Williams Academy is quietly building something that will endure, shaping children’s hearts and strengthening the bonds between families and their community.
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