{{ concept_kicker | default: "Licensed early-learning center · ages 6 wk–5 yr" }}

{{ tagline | default: "A warm, play-based early-learning center built to fill Austin's longest childcare waitlists — and run full from its first spring." }}

Prepared by

Capital sought

Opening

Executive Summary

The pitch

{{ exec_summary_1 | default: "Little Lanterns is a licensed, 48-child early-learning center serving infants through pre-K in North Austin's Crestview neighborhood — a warm, play-based program for working families who can't find a quality spot." }}

{{ exec_summary_2 | default: "Austin's licensed-childcare supply has not kept pace with its young-family growth, and the centers that exist carry months-long waitlists. We open with a tight, credible footprint: four mixed-age rooms, low teacher-to-child ratios that beat the state minimum, and a curriculum two experienced educators designed to be both joyful for children and reassuring for the parents and lender funding it." }}

{% for m in exec_metrics %}

{% endfor %}

The opportunity

{{ opportunity_body | default: "Travis County added roughly 14,000 children under five since 2021, while licensed center capacity grew far slower. Local centers report 4–9 month infant waitlists. Demand for safe, high-quality care outpaces the rooms being built — and families pay first, in advance, every month." }}

Why us

{{ why_us_body | default: "Maya directed a 60-child NAEYC-accredited center for seven years; Priya is a licensed pre-K lead with a master's in early childhood education. We have the curriculum, the licensing playbook, and 31 families already on a pre-enrollment interest list before we hold the keys." }}

The ask

{{ ask_headline | default: "$95,000 to license, build out, and open the doors." }}

{{ ask_body | default: "An SBA microloan covering classroom build-out, playground, and the first 90 days of payroll. Paired with $70,000 of owner equity, it funds a fully licensed, fully staffed center with a working-capital cushion through ramp-up — and no personal credit-card debt to the founders." }}

{{ company_legal | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC" }}Confidential — Page 2

The Program & Concept

What we offer

{{ program_intro | default: "Play is how young children learn, and our days are built around it — but every room runs on a structure that keeps children safe, parents informed, and teachers calm. We serve four age groups across four classrooms, each with its own pace, nap rhythm, and milestones." }}

Programs & monthly tuition

{{ program_box1_body | default: "A play-based, Creative-Curriculum-aligned program with daily literacy, nature, and social-emotional time. Teachers document each child's milestones in a parent app, so families see the learning behind the play — not just a list of meals and naps." }}

{{ program_box2_body | default: "Arrival & free play, morning circle, outdoor time, lunch, nap, small-group learning centers, snack, and a second outdoor block before pickup. Predictable for children, legible for parents, and built around two daily outdoor sessions." }}

Safe & special

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{{ company_legal | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC" }}Confidential — Page 3

Market Analysis

The demand

{{ market_lead | default: "Austin is one of the fastest-growing young-family metros in the country, and its licensed-childcare supply has not kept up. Centers fill before they open, and waitlists are the norm — not the exception." }}

{% for m in market_metrics %}

{% endfor %}

{{ t.lead }} — {{ t.body }}

{{ market_box2_body1 | default: "Crestview and the surrounding 78757 / 78752 ZIPs skew young, dual-income, and underserved — the three nearest quality centers are full with waitlists. Median household income in our radius supports full-time tuition, and employers in the corridor increasingly offer childcare stipends." }}

{{ market_box2_body2 | default: "Childcare is recession-resilient: parents who work cannot opt out of care, and tuition is paid in advance every month." }}

{{ company_legal | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC" }}Confidential — Page 4

Competitive Landscape

The edge

{{ competition_intro | default: "The neighborhood is served — but thinly, and by centers that are either full, impersonal, or priced for a different family. Our wedge is a warm, low-ratio, owner-operated program that parents trust on the first tour." }}

{{ comp_col1 | default: "Nearby center" }}{{ comp_col2 | default: "Capacity" }}{{ comp_col3 | default: "Infant ratio" }}{{ comp_col4 | default: "Waitlist" }}

{% for c in competitors %}

{% endfor %}

{{ comp_you_name | default: "Little Lanterns" }}{{ comp_you_v2 | default: "48" }}{{ comp_you_v3 | default: "1:4" }}{{ comp_you_v4 | default: "Opening" }}

Our edge

{{ t.lead }} — {{ t.body }}

Honest risks

{{ t.lead }} — {{ t.body }}

{{ company_legal | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC" }}Confidential — Page 5

Operations & Go-to-Market

The machine

{{ ops_intro | default: "Everything runs to a licensed standard. We open under a Texas HHSC childcare license with ratios that beat state minimums, a credentialed teacher in every room, and a documented safety routine that's the same on a Tuesday as on an inspection day." }}

{% for s in ratios %}

{% endfor %}

Teacher model & safety

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Enrollment engine

{{ t.lead }} — {{ t.body }}

{{ cac_body | default: "~$1,100/mo. on local search and open-house events — well under one month of a single child's tuition per new family enrolled." }}

{{ company_legal | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC" }}Confidential — Page 6

Financial Plan

The numbers

{{ fin_lead | default: "Conservative single-center assumptions — 48 licensed seats, a 10-month ramp to full enrollment, blended tuition of $1,420/child/month. Every figure below holds even at 85% of capacity." }}

Startup costs & use of funds

ItemAmount

{% for r in startup_costs %}

{% endfor %}

Total{{ startup_total | default: "$165,000" }}

{{ funding_note | default: "Funded by $70,000 owner equity + $95,000 SBA microloan." }}

{{ unit_label | default: "Unit economics — per enrolled child" }}

Line{{ unit_col | default: "Per month" }}

{% for r in unit_economics %}

{{ r.line }}{% if r.sub %} {{ r.sub }}{% endif %}{{ r.amount }}

{% endfor %}

{{ unit_note | default: "~20% contribution margin per child at full enrollment covers fixed overhead by month ten." }}

Three-year revenue projection

{% for b in projection %}

{% endfor %}

{{ projection_note | default: "Year-1 reflects a 10-month enrollment ramp; Year 2 assumes full capacity plus a modest annual tuition step. Year 3 adds a second neighborhood location funded from operating cash, not new debt." }}

{{ company_legal | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC" }}Confidential — Page 7

The Ask

Let's open

{{ close_lead | default: "Little Lanterns is a focused, credible concept entering a market that's already lining up at the door. The capital below is the only thing between a finished plan and a classroom full of children." }}

Milestones to a full center

{% for s in milestones %}

{% endfor %}

Bottom line

{{ bottom_headline | default: "Full by month ten, debt-light by year three." }}

{{ bottom_body | default: "The center reaches break-even in month ten, repays the SBA microloan from contribution margin, and self-funds a second location. The $95,000 doesn't buy a gamble — it buys a head start on a waitlist that already exists." }}

Prepared by

{{ contact_line1 | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC · Austin, TX" }}
{{ contact_line2 | default: "[email protected] · (512) 555‑0188" }}

{{ company_legal | default: "Little Lanterns Early Learning LLC" }} · {{ sign_name | default: "Maya Okafor & Priya Nair" }}Confidential — Page 8