10 Things to Know About Social Services (Child Care)



1. Sexual abuse claims are a child care operation’s biggest exposure. A good child care insurance program should ALWAYS include sexual abuse and molestation liability insurance. —Riley Binford, executive vice president, Charity First Insurance Services Inc.
2. Underwriters for this class will want to know: What is the ratio of attendants to children? Are there criminal background checks on all employees? Are there previous or pending allegations of sexual or physical abuse? —Sharron Johnson, senior underwriter, Monarch E&S Insurance Services
3. A child care operation should practice the “three-person” rule, where there are always two adults present with the child or children. The two adults preferably would be two women; second choice – a woman and a man. The two adults should never be two men. —Riley Binford, executive vice president, Charity First Insurance Services Inc.
4. The three-person rule should also apply in vehicles providing transport for the children (field trips, etc.) —Riley Binford, executive vice president, Charity First Insurance Services Inc.
5. Adult males should not be allowed to accompany children to the bathroom. —Riley Binford, executive vice president, Charity First Insurance Services Inc.
6. Eleven million children under the age of five spend an average of 36 hours per week in some form of child care in the United States; 35 percent are in center-based care; other care options include home-based child care operations, relatives and friends. —”Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2015,” Child Care Aware of America
7. Average monthly child care costs for a one-child household range from $344 in rural South Carolina to $1,472 in Washington, D.C. The median hourly wage for child care workers in the U.S. in 2014 was $10.31, 39.3 percent below the $17 median hourly wage of workers in other occupations. —Economic Policy Institute
8. Whether or not a child care facility has swimming pools, hot tubs or wading pools is important to underwriters. Some questions to ask: Are hot tubs and pools in compliance with the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act? Are hot tubs and pools fully fenced with a self-latching gate? Is there life safety equipment poolside or is there a diving board or slide? Are there any wading pools? —Sharron Johnson, senior underwriter, Monarch E&S Insurance Services
9. An underwriter will want to know: if a facility is a 24-hour operation; if it provides for autistic or special needs children; or if there are any inflatable devices or trampolines on the premises. —Sharron Johnson, senior underwriter, Monarch E&S Insurance Services
10. Regarding transportation: Do they participate in any off premises activities? Does the facility transport children; if so, do they operate a vehicle that is larger than a 15-passenger vehicle? —Sharron Johnson, senior underwriter, Monarch E&S Insurance Services