24 www.azbankers.org Sharquita Pearson has always been passionate about working with children. She relocated to Arizona from Illinois as a teenager to help raise her younger brothers and sisters. Today, as the owner and operator of Little Giants Daycare and Learning Center in Phoenix, Sharquita has harnessed her love of children and learning into a livelihood that serves her community. “It amazes me what kids are capable of at such a young age,” Sharquita says. “Watching them learn to crawl, walk, and say simple words makes my heart melt. I’m so excited to give Little Giants a fun and exciting place to play and learn.” When she needed funding to support her growing business, Sharquita applied for a small business loan with DreamSpring, a nonprofit community development financial institution serving Arizona and 18 additional states. With funds to expand, Sharquita has sustained jobs, increased enrollment of infants and young children, and enhanced her curriculum to emphasize music, movement, mathematics, play, art, and language. Every day, entrepreneurs like Sharquita quickly access affordable small business capital through DreamSpring’s innovative hybrid lending model, which combines a streamlined online application process with tailored Lending at the Intersection of Mission, Technology, and Heart: DreamSpring Earns Innovation Award for Advancing Equity Through Entrepreneurship
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