We write day care insurance for Antioch centers and preschools from an office in the same city. Licensed programs here are usually working within tight budgets, and the temptation is to buy the cheapest package available — which almost always means a small abuse and molestation sublimit that a landlord or licensing review will eventually question.
We price the abuse limit separately so you can see what the real coverage costs before deciding.
What day care insurance needs to include
Child care coverage is built around three exposures: an injury on your premises, an allegation involving a child, and an employment dispute with staff. General liability handles the first. Abuse and molestation coverage — with its own limit, not shared with general liability — handles the second, and it is what licensing agencies, landlords and parents increasingly ask to see.
Professional liability responds to supervision and care decisions, which is a different question from a playground injury and needs its own wording.
Abuse and molestation coverage: read the limit
Many package policies include a small sublimit, defense-inside-limits, and a claims-made trigger. For a licensed center that combination is thin. Ask for the limit in writing, ask whether defense costs erode it, and ask whether coverage continues for allegations reported after a former employee leaves.
Field trips, transportation and off-site care
Any time children leave the building, your exposure changes. If staff drive children in personal vehicles, hired and non-owned auto is essential. If you own a van, it needs a commercial auto policy with the right seating and driver class — a personal auto policy will not respond.
Staff workers' comp and employment practices
Lifting children, slips, and illness exposure drive comp claims. Turnover is high in the sector, which also makes employment practices liability worth its cost: wrongful termination and wage-and-hour allegations are common and expensive to defend even when you are right.
What we see in Antioch
Many Antioch centers operate in leased commercial or converted residential space, and those leases carry insurance requirements that are easy to miss — specific limits, additional insured wording, sometimes waivers of subrogation. Send us the lease and we will quote to it.
Outdoor play time in East County summer heat is also a genuine safety and claims issue. Shade, hydration and schedule adjustments protect children and staff, and they are the kind of documented practice carriers reward.
Questions Antioch owners ask us
How much abuse and molestation coverage does a center need?
We generally recommend a dedicated limit of at least $1 million per claim rather than a shared sublimit, and we check whether defense costs erode the limit. That distinction matters more than the headline number.
Is professional liability different from general liability?
Yes. General liability covers injuries on your premises; professional liability responds to supervision and care decisions. Licensed centers should carry both.
Does my policy cover field trips?
Off-site activities are generally covered under general liability, but transportation is the gap. If staff drive children, hired and non-owned auto is needed; if you own a van, it needs a commercial auto policy.
Get a child care quote for your Antioch business
Send your license type, enrollment, and payroll and we'll start by checking your abuse and molestation limit. We are an independent brokerage based in Antioch, serving Contra Costa County and the wider Bay Area. CA License #0D90958.
Other cities we write this coverage in
See our full Human Services Insurance overview.