Patience, young padawan...
At this stage, don't be concerned with the speed of growth. Worry about achieving consistency in your environmental conditions, and just observe what the plant does. If you don't let the plant dictate the pace, it will always move too slowly for you.
And your distance is fine, that seedling could likely touch the bulb of a 19w LED and be ok.
Thanks everyone here for the replies. I wish I knew how to mark the post as having been found helpful, still kind of new to this forum.
My first plant, the 3 week old sprout is finally growing some non curled leaves. The youngest is now the biggest. The second oldest has dealt with much stress and has been transplanted with not much hope for its recovery. They're liking the borrowed t8 from work and the fan along with going out on the balcony for afternoon to sunset (direct light).
Can any mod turn this thread into a journal?