By StartBusinessByStatePublisher: Robert SmithResearch process
Protect your childcare program and the business behind it. Get a quote for your home daycare, preschool or center in Maine.
- Coverage options for the children, visitors and staff at your program.
- A quote based on your ages, enrollment and activities.
- Proof of insurance for your landlord or other agreements after policy issuance.
Get my daycare insurance quote
Quotes through Simply Business, a business insurance agency. Review available coverage and prices before buying.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.
Build protection around the children in your care
Your program may serve toddlers at home, run a staffed center or pick up children after school. Those operations need different insurance details. Describe your actual program so the agency can review protection for injuries, supervision claims and your premises together.
Protect your program against liability claims
Discuss general and professional liability for the childcare services you provide. Ask how the policy handles supervision allegations and abuse or molestation coverage, including separate limits.
Support your staff after a work injury
Workers’ compensation addresses employee injuries. Give the agency a complete staff list, payroll and owner roles so it can apply the state rules below.
Cover your rooms and equipment
Include play equipment, furniture and supplies. For a home program or rented space, identify the business operator and the parts of the property your policy needs to cover.
Include pickup routes and activities
Explain school transportation, drivers, field trips, playground use and water activities. Have those services included in the coverage review before adding them to your program.
Use your licensing category, actual enrollment and children’s ages when requesting a quote. Home daycare, preschool and center operations should be described as they are run.
These are separate coverage needs. Available products and terms depend on your work, location and insurer; a liability quote does not automatically include every policy above.
Coverage details for your daycare business
Choose coverage around your childcare operation
Maine’s daycare insurance requirements depend on the program type. Licensed child care facilities have stated liability minimums; home providers should separately check business liability and their homeowners policy before relying on either.
Start with the program you run: a family home, a center or a school-age service. Give the provider your licensed capacity, actual enrollment, age groups and schedule. Include employees, assistants, volunteers and anyone who transports children. A proposal is useful only when the insurer has accepted the activities that create the exposure.
| 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? |
Ask the provider to walk through a supervision allegation, an injury during play and damage to rented premises. Find out which policy would respond and whether the answer changes off site. Do not infer that professional liability or abuse and molestation protection is included just because the document is described as daycare insurance.
Check the gaps before accepting a quote
- Abuse and supervision: ask about exclusions, separate limits, covered people and reporting requirements.
- Transportation: identify vehicle ownership, drivers, pickup routes and field trips; obtain confirmation for business use.
- Property: distinguish the building owner’s interest from your furniture, supplies and play equipment.
- Home-based care: disclose the business to the residential insurer and clarify how any business policy or endorsement works alongside it.
- Policy changes: ask about earlier incidents, claims-made dates where applicable and any reporting period needed when switching insurers.
A certificate summarizes insurance; it does not itself expand the policy. If a landlord requests additional-insured status or another endorsement, have the provider review the written request. Keep the resulting endorsement with the policy and make sure the program name and location are accurate.
How much does daycare insurance cost in Maine?
Your price depends on your services, location, staffing, claims history and the coverage you select. A quote gives you a price for your own business. Use the figures below to plan your budget.
| Coverage | Monthly median | Annual median |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | $91 | $1,097 |
| Business owner’s policy | $135 | $1,624 |
| Professional liability | $99 | $1,191 |
Benchmark source, dates and budgeting details
How much should you budget?
There is no reliable single price for every program. Request quotes using the same enrollment, activities, limits and effective date so you can compare the protection as well as the premium.
Insureon national human/social-services medians: general liability $91/month; BOP $135; professional liability $99. This broader sample is not state daycare pricing or a Simply Business quote.
Benchmark check: November 2, 2026. Annual figures are the amounts published by the source, not monthly premiums multiplied by 12. The human-and-social-services sample is broader than daycare; these are budgeting references, not a quote for your business.
Read each proposal as a whole. A business owner’s policy may bundle liability and property, so adding separate product prices can double-count protection. Ask which endorsements are included, whether defense costs reduce a limit, and what you would pay at renewal or after a midyear change. Compare the annual total, deductibles, installment charges and uncovered activities.
Review the annual total, deductible and limits together. Include any required endorsements so the quote prices the protection your work calls for. A business owner’s policy can combine liability and property coverage; those costs can overlap.
Maine insurance requirements for childcare providers
Use your licensing rules and written customer requirements to set the coverage you need. Give the agency those documents so it can check the quote against them.
The Child Care Facility Licensing Rule, section 2(F)(2), requires at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence in liability coverage, plus $5,000 for property damage. A liability certificate is required before the facility license is issued.
The Maine Bureau of Insurance’s child care guide distinguishes family child care in the provider’s home: DHHS does not require liability insurance for that license category, but the homeowners insurer may require separate business liability. Confirm that your operation fits the home-provider category rather than applying its treatment to a center.
For a home program, 24-A M.R.S. §3060 provides specified residential-policy protections when the provider demonstrates separate business liability and equivalent medical-payments coverage. It does not automatically add childcare coverage to the home policy. Have the two insurers identify their respective responsibilities.
Employee injuries are a separate coverage decision
Maine’s workers’ compensation law generally requires private employers to secure coverage for their employees, with defined exceptions and owner-related provisions. Describe your legal structure and each worker’s role before treating anyone as exempt. A paid helper is not necessarily an independent contractor simply because you pay by invoice.
Get your daycare insurance quote
Simply Business is a business insurance agency. Start with your business details to see available coverage and prices for your work.
- Describe your business. Choose Child day care services and your state. Enter your program type, enrollment, ages, staffing and any transportation or special activities.
- Review the available coverage and price. Match the limits, covered activities and dates to your requirements. You choose whether to purchase.
- Put your policy and proof of insurance in place. Once the policy is issued, request your certificate and check the start date before sending proof of coverage to a customer.
A certificate of insurance shows your existing coverage. It does not add coverage or make a customer an additional insured; that may require a policy endorsement.
Useful details to have nearby
Prepare for a childcare-specific 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.
Before submitting, list activities that may not appear on a standard application: water play, animals, overnight care or work at another address, if offered. Tell the provider when capacity or staffing will change. Ask when coverage would begin and what documents are still needed; requesting a quote does not put a policy in force.
Put protection in place for your childcare program
Get a quote based on the children you serve, your staff and your activities. Review the coverage and price before choosing a policy.
Get my daycare insurance quote
Continue to Simply Business to enter your details and review available coverage.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.
Maine daycare insurance questions
Is daycare liability insurance required in Maine?
The Child Care Facility Licensing Rule, section 2(F)(2) , requires at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence in liability coverage, plus $5,000 for property damage. A liability certificate is required before the facility license is issued.
Does homeowners insurance cover a home daycare?
Do not assume it does. Disclose the child care business and ask the home and business insurers to identify what is covered, excluded or added by endorsement.
Does a quote include transportation and abuse coverage?
Not necessarily. Describe those exposures and ask the provider to identify the relevant policies, exclusions, covered people and limits in writing.
What should I compare besides the premium?
Compare accepted activities, limits, deductibles, defense costs, exclusions, reporting terms and effective dates. Check any licensing and contract requirements against the actual proposal.
Sources and further coverage guidance
Related guides
Starting a daycare in Maine · Maine business guide · Daycare insurance by state
Original source review: September 14, 2026
Requirements and published benchmarks checked September 14, 2026. Confirm policy terms and availability for your operation.
Page presentation updated November 2, 2026. State requirements and cost benchmarks retain their separately stated source-review dates. Coverage is subject to eligibility, policy terms and state availability.