Daycare Insurance in New Hampshire

Also providing Daycare insurance to residents in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, & Vermont.

Insurance24

What is daycare insurance?

New Hampshire daycares assume substantial risk by accepting responsibility for the children in their programs. Training, protocols, and safety measures are all needed to minimize the risk of injury, but they can’t completely eliminate all risks. Daycare insurance may provide financial protection if something happens despite doing everything right.

Daycare insurance offers coverages tailored to the needs of child care and daycare centers. Policies may protect against accidents involving children, property damage, and many other risks.

Does New Hampshire require child care insurance?

New Hampshire generally doesn’t require that child care businesses have liability insurance in place. Child care insurance is strongly recommended, though, and many parents expect it. The state does generally require businesses to disclose whether they have liability insurance or not.

The guidance to insure broadly applies to most businesses in the child care industry. For example, all of the following might get a child care insurance policy:

• For-profit child care centers
• Providers offering daycare in their home
• Before- and after-school programs
• Religious nursery schools and preschools
• Non-profit preschools

Additionally, a few businesses offer child care for employees or customers. A child care policy is probably advisable in these situations, too.

What liability coverages should daycares look for when getting insurance?

Liability coverages primarily offer financial protection in situations where a business could be responsible for causing harm to another party. There are a number of liability coverages that daycares may want:

• General Liability Coverage: Normally insures against common “slip and fall” accidents at the daycare premises. Coverage typically applies to non-employees, which could include children, parents, and outsourced cleaning staff.
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment Coverage: Normally insures against unforeseen and accidental injuries to children. Coverage might apply if a child is injured on the playground or on a field trip, for instance.
• Accident Medical Expense Coverage: Normally insures against significant medical expenses arising from a child’s injury.
• Abuse & Molestation Coverage: Normally insures against allegations, or actual instances, of inappropriate conduct by an employee.
• Directors & Officers Coverage: Normally insures a child care center’s leaders against claims that their decisions or actions caused harm to the organization. This is more commonly purchased for nonprofit child care centers, but may be available for businesses too.

An insurance agent specializing in child care policies can review these coverages in further detail, and go over any additional liability protections that are available.

What property coverages should daycares look for when getting insurance?

Property coverages are mainly for the assets that a daycare owns. Some common property coverages are:

• Tenants Betterment Coverage: Generally for improvements made by a daycare to a leased facility.
• Commercial Building Coverage: Generally for a building owned by a daycare program.
• Commercial Contents Coverage: Generally for a variety of items that a daycare has. Often protects things like furniture, computers, toys, and other items.

Which property coverages a daycare needs depends on what it owns. A child care center likely needs either commercial building or tenants betterment coverage. Someone offering daycare in their home, however, probably only needs commercial contents coverage. Their homeowners policy should offer protection for the house.

Is liability coverage still needed if parents sign waivers?

While waivers can offer some legal defense, they usually aren’t comprehensive substitutes for liability insurance. Waivers and insurance provide different types of protection.

What liability limits should daycares select?

There’s no one set liability limit that every daycare should have. Many daycares choose fairly high liability limits, though, since the cost of a child’s injury or death can be exceedingly expensive. 

An insurance agent who understands the needs of daycares can assist with selecting suitable limits.

How much does insuring a child care center cost?

The cost of insuring a daycare varies significantly. It’s often based on factors like program size, facility characteristics, staff training, and claims history. 

Daycares can check how much different insurers will charge them for coverage by comparing policies with an independent insurance agent. An independent agent can get quotes from multiple insurers.

Where can New Hampshire child care programs find daycare insurance?

For help insuring a child care program in New Hampshire, contact the independent insurance agents at Insurance24. We’ll make sure you find daycare insurance that’ll protect your child care business or nonprofit well.