Providing child care can be an extremely fulfilling and exciting career. However, there are certain risks involved with providing child care. Should anything happen to a child who is in your care, you could be responsible for large amounts of legal and medical damages. To deal with these risks, many child care providers choose to use insurance policies.

If you provide child care in your home, you might be able to purchase a childcare business “rider” on your existing homeowner’s policy. However, not all insurance companies offer this type of service; in addition, your state may have specific insurance requirements if you are operating an in-home daycare. You may be able to add an accident insurance policy to this type of homeowner’s insurance policy that would cover medical costs if a child is injured.

Another approach to insurance for the child care provider is to purchase a commercial liability policy. This type of policy is designed to cover damages that can occur from a variety of child care occurrences, from foodbourne illnesses to sexual abuse claims to claims of negligence. This type of policy covers you if you are away from the home, and is often the only sort of liability insurance that is available to child care providers who work in their client’s home.

If you will be doing any transporting of children in your vehicle, you should make sure that your automobile insurance policy covers you. It may be that you need to add some sort of coverage for this type of situation as well.

The best insurance is, of course, to practice safety guidelines, to keep a close eye on the children that have been entrusted to your care, and to avoid danger whenever possible.

Some childcare providers attempt to deal with the risks of lawsuits and such by having parents sign waivers. However, these types of documents do not always hold up, particularly in a civil liability case. If you have the financial means, you can also insure yourself by setting aside a large sum of money (around $200,000) just for such occurrences.

Posted in Child Care Issues

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