Abuse and molestation coverage for D.C. childcare centers

In the District, a childcare license is not a zoning sticker. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) licenses child development facilities and inspects them. One of the documents OSSE expects in that file is DC daycare abuse molestation insurance, listed by name next to commercial general liability.

That is not a marketing add-on. It is how the District writes the application.

What OSSE puts on the insurance list

OSSE's Division of Early Learning issues facility licenses under 5-A DCMR Chapter 1. The agency's Licensing Orientation for Child Care Centers(March 2022) walks owners through the packet.

Proof of insurance must include a reasonable coverage amount, as determined by the District of Columbia Office of Risk Management, for four types of coverage: commercial general liability; umbrella "follow form" liability; sexual abuse and molestation liability; and vehicle liability covering every vehicle used to transport children, if the facility provides transportation. Attach the certificate to the initial application. Keep current proof on site.

Do not treat the ORM "reasonable coverage" sentence as a number you copy from a blog. An agent has to match the current requirement to the forms a carrier will actually issue. This article will not quote dollar amounts.

Sexual abuse and molestation coverage, often abbreviated SAM, is the layer that responds to allegations of sexual abuse or molestation involving children in care. Many commercial general liability forms exclude or treat that exposure separately. That is why OSSE lists it as its own item instead of assuming the CGL certificate already did the job. Background checks, child-protection register clearances, and supervision rules remain the first line of prevention. Insurance does not replace them.

Why a CGL certificate is not the whole story

A landlord on K Street or in Columbia Heights will still want general liability. Umbrella follow-form coverage is meant to sit over the same insuring agreement. If the underlying form does not address abuse, an umbrella that "follows form" will not magically create that coverage.

If you add a van or a field-trip contract, the license file and the insurance file both change. Vehicle coverage is required when the facility transports children. A personal auto policy is the wrong place to hide that risk. Georgetown, Dupont, and Ward 8 programs all file with the same OSSE unit. The neighborhood does not change the list. The work does: ages, capacity, transportation, and who is alone with children.

Book a free insurance review on K Street

Start with the OSSE list: which coverages you can prove today, whether you transport, and how the entity is named on the license. D.H. Lloyd & Associates will walk through that file. It is not a price quote and it is not a binder.

Call 202-223-1506, email contactus@dhlloyd.com, or visit 1625 K St NW, Washington, DC 20006. Start at https://www.dhlloyd.com.

This article is for education only. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed insurance agent, and it is not legal, medical, or binding coverage advice.