Published June 10, 2026 · Last updated June 10, 2026
Daycare insurance in California: centers and family daycares
Child care programs carry the sector's defining exposure — abuse & molestation — alongside everyday liability, property, and staffing risks. The market for daycare insurance is selective and cyclical, which makes both the coverage terms and the timing of your renewal worth more attention than they usually get.
What insurance does a California daycare need?
A daycare program typically needs general liability, professional liability for the care itself, abuse and molestation coverage with meaningful limits, property coverage, workers’ compensation for staff, and auto coverage if children are transported. Centers and licensed family daycares share the same core exposures at different scales.
Is abuse & molestation coverage really necessary for a small daycare?
Yes — it is the defining coverage for any child care operation, regardless of size. Allegations can target the organization’s hiring and supervision even when an individual is accused, and standard liability forms commonly exclude these claims. A daycare policy without explicit A&M terms is incomplete.
The details that matter — limits, sublimits, claims-made versus occurrence, who counts as an insured — are covered in our A&M guide. Five minutes with your declarations page answers most of them.
Why did my daycare get non-renewed, and what now?
Daycare appetite shifts with the broader market: carriers exit the class, tighten on claims history, or reprice entire books. A non-renewal is recoverable — your policy runs to expiration, and specialty markets quote child care accounts daily. Start early, document your program, and avoid any lapse.
The playbook mirrors what we tell every non-renewed account: request loss runs in writing now, gather your documentation, and create competition among markets before expiration rather than accepting whatever arrives last-minute.
What do underwriters ask before quoting a daycare?
Licensed capacity and ages served, staff-to-child ratios, background check procedures, training and supervision policies, incident and claims history, facility details including playgrounds and pools, transport practices, and hours. Documentation quality matters: programs that produce policies on request get materially better options.
We place California daycares and child care centers — including non-renewed, post-claim, and first-time-licensed programs. Email mathis@setinsure.com with your license type, capacity, and renewal date, or call (628) 468-7620.
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