Childcare Center Insurance Checklist
Parents trust a childcare center with the most important people in their lives, and the insurance conversation reflects that. Use this checklist to gather the details a center, preschool or growing family program needs before talking about coverage.
Start with the program you run
In California, the Department of Social Services oversees child care centers and family child care homes through its regional offices. Its own description draws the line simply: centers are usually in a commercial building, and family child care homes operate from the provider’s residence. Insurance sits alongside those state requirements and never replaces them, so keep your CDSS paperwork current and in the same folder as your policies.
Describe the program in a few sentences: infant care, toddler rooms, preschool, before- and after-school care, summer camp or a mix. Note whether you lease a storefront, share space in a church or school, or own the building. Our childcare center insurance page covers the broader coverage picture for care settings.
Children, ages and a typical day
Underwriters want to picture the day. List enrollment at full capacity by age group, the hours you are open and how drop-off and pickup work. Then walk through the routine: meals and snacks prepared on site, nap time, art with scissors and paint, water play, climbing structures and the outdoor yard.
Playground equipment deserves a careful description: what it is, the surfacing underneath, who inspects it and how often. A child’s injury on the playground or a parent’s fall in the parking lot points to general liability. When a landlord, school district or funding agency names the limit it expects, our guide on how much general liability insurance you need explains how to read that requirement.
Abuse and molestation, and questions about care
This is the question childcare owners most need to raise directly. Insurance references such as IRMI note that many liability forms carry a sexual abuse or molestation exclusion, and that some versions add back limited coverage, sometimes only for defense. Ask whether a quote excludes these claims, adds them back by endorsement or offers a separate policy, and what limit applies. Read the answer in writing before you compare prices.
Claims can also concern the quality of care itself: a missed allergy, a medication given at the wrong time or a child’s developmental concern a parent says went unreported. Those allegations about the services you provide lean toward professional liability. Describe your medication policy, allergy tracking and how teachers document daily notes for parents.
Teachers, aides, substitutes and volunteers
California requires employers to carry workers’ compensation for their employees. Childcare work means lifting toddlers, kneeling on floors and chasing a runaway preschooler across the yard, so describe each role: lead teachers, aides, cooks, drivers, office staff and the director. Note part-time staff and the substitutes you call when someone is out.
CDSS runs a background check process for people who work in child care, using Live Scan fingerprinting. Keep records of each staff member’s clearance and your hiring steps, since insurers often ask about them. Parent volunteers and student interns belong on your list too, along with what they do and whether they are ever alone with children. Staff disputes over pay, scheduling or discipline are a separate employment practices liability question.
Vans, field trips and school pickups
Transport adds a layer of responsibility. If your center picks children up from school, takes them to a park or runs a summer field trip, list each vehicle, who owns it, who drives and how children are buckled in and counted. A center van belongs on a commercial auto policy, and staff who drive their own cars on trips raise a non-owned auto question.
Field trips to museums, pools or farms add a host’s rules to your own. Keep the venue’s terms, the signed parent permission forms and the staff-to-child plan for the outing together in the trip file.
The building, the lease and the landlord
Childcare tenants often sign leases with detailed insurance sections. A landlord, church or school district hosting your program commonly asks for a stated liability limit and to be added to your policy. Our guide to additional insured endorsements explains what that request means and why the wording matters.
On the property side, list furniture, cribs, toys, kitchen equipment, computers and any improvements you paid for, such as fencing, shade structures or child-sized restrooms. Smaller centers often combine that property with liability in a Business Owner’s Policy, while larger centers sometimes need separate policies.
When something happens, and your final checklist
Write down your incident routine before you need it: first aid, calling the parent, the written incident report and any report the state expects. Prompt, factual notes protect everyone. Our guide on what to do after a business insurance claim covers the steps that follow a claim.
- Your CDSS paperwork and a short program description
- Enrollment at capacity by age group, with hours
- Playground equipment, surfacing and inspection routine
- Your questions about abuse and molestation coverage, in writing
- Staff roles, payroll, background check records and volunteers
- Vehicles, drivers and field trip practices
- The lease’s insurance section and a property list with values
Bring this list to Mithril1. Coverage always comes down to the policy wording and the facts of a loss, and a childcare program described in full gets far more useful answers.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Does a childcare center's general liability policy address abuse allegations?
Many liability forms exclude abuse and molestation claims, and some add limited coverage back by endorsement. Ask each quote how these claims are treated, what limit applies and whether defense costs are included, and get the answer in writing.
What should a childcare center list about the van it uses for school pickups?
The van’s details and owner, every staff member who drives it, the routes and schools served, how car seats and boosters are used and how children are counted on and off. Share any district or school pickup rules as well.
Should a childcare center list parent volunteers when it applies for insurance?
Yes. Describe what volunteers do, how often they help and whether they are ever alone with children. Volunteers are part of how the center runs, and insurers ask about them alongside paid staff.
What does a landlord usually ask of a childcare tenant's insurance?
Most leases name a liability limit, ask to be added to your policy as an additional insured and require proof of coverage before you open. Some also set property and workers’ compensation terms, so read the whole insurance section.
Is playground equipment part of a childcare center's property list?
Yes. Climbing structures, shade sails, fencing and rubber surfacing all carry replacement value. List them with the indoor furniture and equipment, and note which pieces you installed in a leased yard.