Commercial Insurance · Windsor-Essex
Daycare & Private School Insurance
Licensed child-care operations in Ontario have specific insurance obligations. Ontario Regulation 137/15, s. 71 requires licensees to maintain insurance that includes comprehensive general liability and personal injury coverage and, where the licensee owns vehicles, motor vehicle coverage for those vehicles. Ontario's licensing guidance also tells operators to make their broker aware of activities such as transportation, field trips, volunteers, contractual liability and board/officer exposures. Private schools and other education operations have different insurance considerations, which should be reviewed based on how they operate.
Daycare and private school insurance is for Windsor-Essex licensed daycares, Montessori schools, private academies, and before-and-after school programs.
What's covered
Childcare and private education combine premises liability, professional supervision duties, and sensitive abuse exposures.
When everyday accidents become liability claims: Slips on wet floors, playground incidents, and damage to a visitor's property can lead to third-party claims. For daycares and schools, these exposures often involve children, parents, and volunteers on your premises — coverage and limits depend on how your operation is structured and what your policy includes.
When everyday accidents become liability claims
Slips on wet floors, playground incidents, and damage to a visitor's property can lead to third-party claims. For daycares and schools, these exposures often involve children, parents, and volunteers on your premises — coverage and limits depend on how your operation is structured and what your policy includes.
Practical considerations
Broker disclosures Ontario licensing guidance expects
Ontario's own child-care licensing guidance specifically directs operators to make sure their broker is aware of:
Transportation of children
Vans, buses, or any vehicle used for the operation
Field trips
Activities that move outside the regular premises
Volunteers
How volunteers are covered relative to employees
Contractual liability
Obligations taken on through agreements with landlords, service system managers, or other parties
Liability of board members/officers
Relevant for board-governed schools and larger childcare organizations
Licensing status affects your insurance obligations directly
Ontario Regulation 137/15 s. 71 applies specifically to licensed operators; unlicensed arrangements are structured differently under provincial rules, which affects what coverage applies and what's expected.
Abuse liability coverage typically comes with real conditions
Documented screening and supervision practices are commonly part of what insurers require to offer this coverage, not just a premium.
Did you know?
Ontario's regulation also addresses incident records, anaphylaxis policies, and first-aid/CPR certification requirements. These are operational/regulatory requirements, not insurance coverage Premium's policies address directly — they're mentioned here only to illustrate why a childcare operation's risk profile is genuinely different from an ordinary commercial occupancy.
The Premium difference
Why a broker?
One relationship. Multiple markets. Coverage explained in plain language.
- 1
Your operation
Your industry, locations, and how the business actually runs day to day.
- 2
Multiple insurance markets
Independent access to commercial carriers — options compared side by side.
- 3
Premium broker
Windsor-Essex guidance that translates policy wording into decisions.
- 4
Right-fit coverage
Protection aligned to your operations — not generic off-the-shelf limits.
A lot to protect? Good thing we have options.
One policy is rarely the whole picture. Explore other commercial coverage from Premium.
Daycare & private school FAQ
Straight answers to common questions.
Abuse and molestation liability is typically its own distinct coverage, separate from general liability — it shouldn't be assumed to be automatically included. Insurers offering this coverage often require documented safety and screening practices as part of underwriting it. This is worth discussing directly and specifically.
Ready when you are
Operate a daycare or private school?
Tell us about enrollment, facilities, and programs — we will compare education and childcare coverage.