Investing in the Childcare Ecosystem: Insights from the OFN Small Business Finance Forum

By WESST | July 10, 2026

Ciara Peña Smith joined WESST in May 2026 as our Chief Operations Officer and has hit the ground running. With over a decade of lending and servicing experience, her work has consistently focused on strengthening the operational infrastructure behind capital delivery—ensuring that funding programs are efficient, accountable, and scalable.

This past June, Ciara represented WESST at the Opportunity Finance Network’s (OFN) 13th Annual Small Business Finance Forum (SBFF) in Austin, Texas. The event brought together nearly 500 Community Development Financial Investment (CDFI) professionals from across the country to advance the capital, coaching, and innovation that help small businesses, start, grow, and stay open. WESST was invited to participate at the OFN conference by our generous partners at Wells Fargo Bank & Foundation on a panel to discuss Caring for the Care Economy.

“I felt privileged to participate as a panelist and share the investments WESST has made to support childcare providers. The panel highlighted childcare providers as essential drivers of economic mobility and explored how CDFIs are designing responsive capital products and advisory services to meet the unique needs of childcare businesses. 

Each panelist shared effective outreach strategies and examples of successful public-private partnerships. We also discussed the financial products and wraparound support services that have been integral to strengthening and sustaining this important small-business community.”

“One of my biggest takeaways was seeing how strongly the value of childcare businesses to regional economic health resonated with attendees. The engagement during the Q&A session, as well as several conversations afterward with CDFI professionals from across the country, affirmed a shared commitment to learning how to better serve this sector. It was encouraging to hear that so many organizations are exploring ways to support childcare entrepreneurs and strengthen the childcare ecosystem. Those discussions reinforced for me how important these conversations are in advancing CDFI engagement and investment in a thriving childcare sector.”

“I hope to apply many of the ideas and insights I gained at the conference to our work at WESST. Opportunity Finance Network did an impressive job at the Small Business Finance Forum of creating opportunities for both learning and connection, bringing together professionals who are tackling similar challenges and exploring innovative solutions. 

In particular, the conversations around designing responsive capital products were incredibly valuable and sparked new ideas about how we can continue to refine and strengthen our approach to serving small businesses.

Overall, participating on the panel and attending the conference was really enriching, and I left feeling inspired by the ideas shared, the lessons learned, and the meaningful connections made.”