Daycare and childcare insurance
Childcare is one of the few businesses where the customers can't describe what happened. That's why the insurance is built differently: the liability has to cover the care itself, not just the premises; abuse and molestation coverage has to be added deliberately; and every carrier will ask about your OCFS licence, ratios and background checks before quoting.
A licensed daycare or family childcare program needs general liability with professional liability for the care itself, abuse and molestation coverage (excluded from standard policies and expected by parents and licensors), accident medical coverage for children, workers' compensation, and property coverage. New York's Office of Children and Family Services licenses programs and sets ratios and training rules that carriers underwrite to.
The childcare package
- General and professional liability, written for childcare: injuries, allegations of negligent supervision, and the care itself.
- Abuse and molestation, with its own limits and the risk-management conditions that come with it.
- Accident medical for children in your care.
- Property: furniture, equipment, playground, food, and business income.
- Workers' compensation and DBL/PFL: lifting injuries and illness are routine in childcare.
- Auto for transport, cyber for enrollment records, and EPLI once staff numbers grow.
What carriers underwrite
| Factor | What they want to see |
|---|---|
| OCFS licence or registration | Type, capacity, age groups, inspection history |
| Staff screening | Background checks, references, the Statewide Central Register clearance |
| Supervision practices | Ratios, two-adult rule, open-door bathrooms, cameras |
| Premises | Playground surfacing, fencing, water hazards, pool |
| Programs | Infants, swimming, field trips, transport, overnight care: each rated |
Same structure, different details
Nursery schools and preschools, after-school programs, summer camps and Turkish-language weekend schools all use the same package with adjustments for age group, hours and activities. Nonprofit programs add directors and officers coverage. I insure several and can quote any of them.
What I need to quote
- Licence type, capacity and age groups.
- Staff count, payroll and screening practices.
- Premises details and any vehicles.
- Any prior incidents, claims or OCFS findings.
- Child care regulations and licensing (NY Office of Children and Family Services)
- 18 NYCRR §418-1.2 — day care center licence application and renewal (certificate of general liability insurance)
- 18 NYCRR §417.2 — family day care registration (no liability insurance document required)
- Liability insurance information for child care programs (NY OCFS)
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Does New York require daycare providers to carry insurance?
For a licensed day care center, yes: the OCFS regulations require a certificate of general liability insurance with the licence application, a copy of the policy on file after licensure, and the certificate again at every renewal (18 NYCRR 418-1.2 and 418-1.15). Family and group family day care regulations don't list liability insurance as a licensing document, only workers' compensation compliance, but county subsidy contracts, landlords and franchisors usually require it and every parent will ask. In practice every licensed program carries it.
What is abuse and molestation coverage, and why is it separate?
Standard general liability excludes or is silent on claims of physical or sexual abuse by staff. Abuse and molestation coverage responds to those claims, including the defence, on a per-claim and aggregate limit. Carriers require background checks, a two-adult rule, open-door policies and training before they'll offer it. It is the coverage parents and licensors most want to see.
I run a family daycare in my home. Is my homeowners policy enough?
No. Homeowners policies exclude business liability, and a home daycare with six or eight children is a business. You need a family daycare liability policy, and you should tell your homeowners carrier; some will add a small endorsement, most will want the separate policy in place.
Do I need coverage for transporting children?
If you drive children in a vehicle, yes: commercial auto for a program-owned van, or hired and non-owned auto if staff use personal cars. Vans carrying children are rated carefully and require seat belts, car seats and driver checks that carriers verify.
What does accident medical coverage do?
It pays a child's medical expenses for an injury at the program regardless of fault, up to a limit, which often resolves an incident without a liability claim. Inexpensive and worth having.
Let's talk it through
A phone call or a message is all it takes. The first conversation is just a conversation.
Where I work
I'm based in Clifton Park and work across four Capital Region counties, in person or by phone.