Last updated: September 14, 2026
Delaware requires comprehensive general liability for early care and education centers and for large family child care homes, with certificates due by pre-licensing and renewal and no published dollar floor. Workers’ compensation generally starts with one employee.
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Delaware daycare liability: centers and large family homes
DELACARE Regulations for Early Care and Education and School-Age Centers (14 DE Admin. Code 935 §16) require the licensee to have documentation of comprehensive general liability insurance, plus motor vehicle insurance if transporting children in a vehicle owned or leased by the center, and other insurance required by State law. Application and renewal packets require a certificate of liability insurance by the pre-licensing visit and at renewal. No dollar minimum appears in the regulation.
Large family child care homes under 14 DE Admin. Code 934 §60.0 must show proof of comprehensive general liability insurance specifically covering the large family home business and keep proof current throughout licensure. Renewal item 8.1.7 asks for a CGL certificate if the program is a large family home. 2022 amendments removed a prior property-insurance requirement while retaining CGL. Smaller family homes are not under that Part V Insurance section; do not assume the large-family CGL duty applies unchanged. Give the insurer your license type, operator name and capacity so certificates match OCCL expectations.
How much liability coverage should you buy?
Where the rules set no dollar floor, treat any quoted limit as a purchasing decision against your exposures and contracts—not as a statutory number. Send the provider any lease, school agreement or other contract requiring higher limits. Ask for comparable options at different limits, with the same covered activities and deductible, so you can see the cost difference.
Review the per-occurrence limit and any aggregate or separate abuse-related limit. Ask how defense costs affect available protection. If considering an umbrella, have the agent identify the underlying policies it requires and the childcare exposures it excludes; do not assume it fills every gap in the base policy.
Owned or leased transport vehicles; van ban
Centers §16 and family/large family 934 §46.1 require documentation of motor vehicle insurance when transporting children in a vehicle owned or leased by the center or licensee. Twelve- to fifteen-passenger vans are prohibited. No dollar floor is stated in DELACARE text. Ask the agent which auto forms fit the vehicles and drivers you use.
Coverage to compare for a Delaware daycare or preschool
| Operation or exposure | Coverage question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Children and visitors at your premises | Which liability coverage applies to injuries and property damage, and which activities are excluded? |
| Supervision, instruction and care | Is professional liability included or separate? How does the proposal treat abuse or molestation allegations? |
| Staff and volunteers | Who is insured, and what employee injury or employer-liability coverage is needed? |
| Furniture, supplies and play equipment | Who owns the property, what values are insured and which losses or locations are excluded? |
| School pickup and off-site activities | What vehicle and business coverage is needed for the drivers, trips and activities described? |
General liability, professional liability and abuse or molestation coverage answer different questions. Have the provider explain how the proposal handles a premises injury, a supervision allegation and a claim involving a staff member. Confirm that the services you offer are described and that the relevant people and locations are insured.
For a home, ask the residential insurer how business childcare affects its coverage and compare the proposed endorsement with a separate childcare policy. For a center or preschool, distinguish landlord-owned property from your furnishings, supplies and improvements. Ask which causes of loss and interruptions are covered before adding property or business-income protection.
How much does Delaware daycare insurance cost?
There is no single premium for every daycare. As a broad reference, Insureon’s national human-and-social-services customer medians are $91/month for general liability, $135 for a business owner’s policy and $99 for professional liability, checked September 14, 2026. That sample is broader than daycare; these are not state daycare averages or Simply Business prices.
Use those figures only to understand separate budget categories. A business owner’s policy can bundle liability and property, so do not add every figure as though it were a required package. Request a childcare-specific proposal using your program type, child count and ages, payroll, transportation, claims history and required limits.
Compare the total annual premium, deductible, included activities and any separate abuse-coverage limit. Ask about installment charges, endorsements and the cost of changes during the year. Two prices are comparable only after the provider explains the differences in protection.
Request quotes using your actual license category and services. Comparing those details consistently is more useful than assigning every Delaware program the same estimated premium.
Workers’ compensation at one or more employees
19 Del. C. §2372 and Office of Workers’ Compensation FAQs explain that employers with one or more employees must generally maintain coverage (with exemptions for certain independent contractors, agricultural or casual workers). Most employees are covered from the first day. Employers are solely responsible for the premium and may not withhold it from paychecks. Keep employee-injury coverage separate from the CGL certificate OCCL reviews.
Keep coverage and licensing evidence aligned through the year
Calendar policy renewal alongside licensing paperwork. Resolve cancellation notices or a replacement policy before a lapse while children remain in care. Do not assume reduced enrollment, a school break or a change in insurer removes obligations that apply to your Delaware license type.
Before adding transport, provide the insurer with vehicle ownership, driver and trip details. Ask about commercial auto or hired/non-owned exposures and coverage for the off-site activity itself. Update the agent before a capacity increase, move or additional location so the policy and evidence match what OCCL expects to see.
Prepare your Delaware daycare insurance quote
- Legal operator name, address, permit or certificate type and requested coverage date.
- Licensed capacity, actual enrollment, ages served, hours and all locations.
- Staff, volunteers, payroll and screening/supervision procedures.
- Transportation, field trips, water activities and other services offered.
- Existing policy, claim history and insurance requirements from leases or contracts.
Ask each provider to identify the named insured, covered activities, limits, deductibles, exclusions and endorsements. Confirm whether defense costs reduce any relevant limit and how claims must be reported. If a quote cannot cover an activity, resolve that gap rather than assuming a certificate will make the proposal acceptable.
Get a daycare insurance quote
Start your daycare insurance quote with Simply Business. Answer a few questions about your business and let their team help you find coverage.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Data for Delaware
Free research and planning tools for starting a daycare in Delaware. Most of the data pages compare every state, so look for Delaware in the table or map.
- Small business health insurance rates for 2027: requested and approved rate changes, with a budget calculator.
- Disaster declarations by state: how often Delaware has had a federal disaster declaration since 2016.
- New-employer unemployment tax by state: what a new employer in Delaware can expect to pay per worker in year one.
- Daycare break-even calculator: how many enrolled children you need to cover costs and pay yourself.
- Insurance requirements for contracts: what limits, certificates and endorsements commercial and public buyers ask for.
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware require daycare liability insurance?
Yes for centers and large family homes. DELACARE Centers §16 requires documentation of comprehensive general liability insurance. 14 DE Admin. Code 934 §60.0 requires large family homes to show proof of CGL specifically covering the large family home business and keep it current. No dollar minimum is stated.
Do small Delaware family child care homes have the same CGL mandate?
The Part V Insurance section and renewal CGL certificate item target large family homes (“if a large family home”). No separate small-family CGL mandate was located in the same Part V text. Confirm your license type with OCCL.
What transport insurance do Delaware providers need?
Centers and family/large family rules require documentation of motor vehicle insurance if transporting children in a vehicle owned or leased by the center or licensee. Twelve- to fifteen-passenger vans are prohibited. No dollar floor appears in DELACARE text.
When must a Delaware daycare obtain workers’ compensation?
Employers with one or more employees must generally maintain coverage under 19 Del. C. §2372, with limited exemptions. Employers may not withhold workers’ compensation premium from employee paychecks per Office of Workers’ Compensation guidance.
Related guides
Daycare Insurance · Delaware / Daycare
Requirements and source benchmarks checked September 14, 2026. Policy terms and availability depend on the insurer and your business.
