San Jose day care insurance covers a large and competitive market — corporate-adjacent preschools, bilingual programs, and after-school operations running across multiple sites. Multi-site programs in particular need the policy structured so every location is scheduled and every lease requirement met.
We handle that as an independent brokerage, quoting several child care markets rather than one.
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 San Jose
Multi-location programs are where certificates go wrong. Each site's landlord wants its own endorsement, and a missing schedule entry can mean a location is simply not covered. We audit the schedule at every renewal.
Santa Clara County wage levels raise workers' compensation cost, so lifting practices, slip prevention and a return-to-work plan have a measurable effect on your experience modification.
Questions San Jose owners ask us
How do multi-site programs get insured?
On one policy with each location scheduled, which is more efficient and avoids gaps. Every landlord gets their own additional insured endorsement and certificate.
Is abuse coverage claims-made or occurrence?
Most abuse coverage is claims-made, which means the policy in force when the claim is reported responds. If you change carriers, ask about prior acts coverage so historical exposure is not dropped.
Do after-school and summer programs need separate coverage?
They can usually be added to the same policy, but the activities must be disclosed — swimming, field trips and sports each change the underwriting.
Get a child care quote for your San Jose 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.