Daycare Insurance in Vermont

What is daycare insurance?

Running a child care facility comes with significant responsibility, and also corresponding risks. In addition to the standard risks of fire, theft, and severe weather, daycares also need to consider what the ramifications would be if something happened to a child. Daycare insurance won’t prevent accidents, but it might provide financial protection against common perils, child injuries, and other risks.

Daycare insurance offers tailored protections for child care facilities and programs. Policies usually have a variety of coverages, so they can protect against multiple liability and property risks.

Which childcare facilities need to have child care insurance?

Child care insurance is something that most child care facilities and programs should consider. This generally includes both businesses and nonprofit organizations that watch children. For example, a child care policy may help protect:

• At-home daycare providers
• Religious preschool programs
• Other preschool programs
• After-school programs
• Public nonprofit daycares
• For-profit child care facilities

In select cases, businesses that offer short-term child care for employees or customers might also need some of the coverages found in child care policies. These businesses should work with an insurance agent who knows child care insurance well, in order to make sure all necessary coverages are in place.

What coverages can child care insurance policies come with?

Many of the coverages that child care insurance policies come with are either property coverage or liability coverages. Property coverages are mainly for what a child care program owns, while liability ones are mainly for when a program is at fault.

Some property coverages that programs and centers may need are:

• Tenants Betterment Coverage: Usually for improvements that a daycare makes to a space it leases, possibly including both indoor and outdoor changes.
• Commercial Building Coverage: Usually for a building that a daycare owns, again possibly covering indoor and outdoor structures.
• Commercial Contents Coverage: Usually for a daycare’s equipment, toys, computers, and other items.

Some liability coverages that are often important to have include:

• General Liability Coverage: Could cover common “slip and fall” accidents occurring on a daycare premises, if parents, children, hired cleaners, or other third parties are injured. Usually also protects against defamation suits.
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment Coverage: Could cover other incidents where children are injured or worse. This may protect against incidents on the playground, during a field trip, or at other times while children are at a daycare.
• Accident Medical Expense Coverage: Could cover the medical costs incurred if a child’s injury necessitates an urgent care visit, ambulance to the emergency room, or other medical care (including longer care such as a cast).
• Abuse & Molestation Coverage: Could cover allegations and instances of inappropriate behavior by an employee or volunteer.
• Directors & Officers Coverage: Could cover a daycare program’s leaders against claims that their decisions caused harm to the organization.
• Commercial Umbrella Coverage: Could cover an especially expensive lawsuit with additional protection, beyond the limit of another liability coverage.
  

  Do daycares still need insurance for accidents if caregivers sign waivers?

  Waivers and affidavits might offer some legal protection if a child is injured during an accident, but they aren’t a substitute for insurance. Waivers won’t cover the legal fees and a potential settlement, which insurance likely will if there’s a covered accident.

What liability coverage limits should daycares select when getting insurance?

In general, high liability limits are recommended because lawsuits can become quite expensive. If one or more children are seriously injured, the legal fees and a potential settlement can be high.

This can involve both selecting high limits, and also getting robust commercial umbrella coverage. A knowledgeable agent who’s familiar with the risks that daycares face can assist with choosing specific amounts.

How much do at-home daycare policies cost?

Premiums for daycare policies can vary, but they’re generally affordable. At-home daycare providers will likely find that the cost of insurance is affordable even if watching just a few children. 

At-home daycare providers can find out precisely what their insurance will cost by checking quotes with an independent insurance agent.