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STATE REQUIREMENTS · DAYCARE & CHILDCARE

Daycare & childcare insurance in Michigan

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Daycare & childcare in Michigan usually carry general liability, professional liability (E&O) and commercial property. Michigan itself requires workers' compensation at three or more employees at one time, or one employee working 35 or more hours a week for 13 weeks, sets minimum auto liability for the vehicles the work puts on the road. The state's rules with their sources, what childcare centers carry, who asks for proof and how to keep it all current are below.

Reviewed by CoverMatch licensed agents, Licensed property & casualty agents · Reviewed Oct 12, 2026 Updated
Coverage scoreA childcare center with the right wallet
General LiabilityRenews in 47d
Professional Liability (E&O)Live cert ✓
Workers' CompensationCan switch
CoverMatch I read your General Liability — one thing on this checklist is missing. Want quotes?
Michigan rules with sources
TopicThe rule in MichiganSource
Workers' compensation: when it appliesA private employer must carry coverage if it regularly employs three or more employees at one time, or employs one or more employees for 35 or more hours a week for 13 or more weeks in the preceding 52.MCL 418.115, 418.161, 418.641; Michigan Workers' Disability Compensation Agency — Employers
Securing coverage and penaltiesCovered employers insure with an authorized carrier or obtain self-insurance authority from the Agency; failing to secure coverage is a misdemeanor with fines and possible imprisonment, and the employer is liable for benefits and may be enjoined from operating.MCL 418.611 and 418.641; Michigan Workers' Disability Compensation Agency — Insurance requirements
No-fault auto: liability and property protectionResidual bodily injury liability of at least $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident (the default is $250,000 / $500,000 unless the lower limit is selected in writing) and $10,000 property damage for out-of-state accidents, plus $1,000,000 of property protection insurance for damage to other people's property in Michigan.MCL 500.3009 and 500.3121; Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services — Auto insurance requirements
Personal injury protection choicesSince July 2, 2020, policyholders choose a PIP medical level: unlimited, $500,000, $250,000, $50,000 for Medicaid enrollees, or an opt-out for those with qualifying health coverage; the choice must be made on the policy and renewals.MCL 500.3107c and 500.3107d (2019 PA 21); Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services — PIP choice

Rules change. Each row links to the agency or statute it came from; the review date above is when a licensed agent last checked them.

What Michigan asks of childcare centers

Michigan's rules that reach a childcare center are in the table above, each with its official source: workers' compensation: when it applies, securing coverage and penalties, no-fault auto: liability and property protection, personal injury protection choices. Everything else a childcare center carries in Michigan comes from leases, contracts, platforms and clients rather than from statute, which is why the next two sections matter as much as the first.

What childcare centers in Michigan carry

Coverage Who usually asks Why it matters
General liability · expected State licensing, landlord, field-trip venues Injuries to children, parents and visitors on the premises; the base of the licensing requirement.
Abuse and molestation coverage · expected State licensing, landlords, insurers of partner organizations Excluded from standard liability forms; required for any business caring for minors.
Professional liability · expected Licensing in some states; your own protection Claims that care, supervision or instruction fell short, as distinct from a slip on the playground.
Property and equipment · expected Landlord, lender Classrooms, playground structures, kitchens and supplies; business income while closed after a loss.
Workers' compensation · expected Your state once you have employees; licensing Lifting children, slips, and exposure to illness. Required and checked.
Commercial auto for transport Licensing if you transport children; parents Vans used for pickups and field trips need commercial auto with the vehicles listed and appropriate limits.
Accident medical for enrolled children Parents' expectations; some licensing Pays medical bills for a child's injury regardless of fault, which keeps small incidents from becoming liability claims.

Who will ask a Michigan childcare center for proof

  • Landlords & commercial leases — general liability with the landlord as additional insured, property coverage on tenant improvements and workers' compensation (what they require)
  • Cities, counties & permits — general liability, auto and workers' compensation at the limits in the permit or contract (what they require)

Each of them wants a certificate, and most want it again at every renewal. A live certificate link from the wallet shows today's coverage to every holder and tells them when it changes.

Workers' comp the day a Michigan childcare center hires

In Michigan workers' compensation is required at three or more employees at one time, or one employee working 35 or more hours a week for 13 weeks, so the policy belongs in place before the first shift that crosses the line. CoverMatch quotes workers' compensation from the first employee, and asks every carrier that offers pay-as-you-go to bill through your payroll company, so premium follows each payroll run instead of a large deposit against an estimate.

Bring it, control it, get matched in Michigan

Bring your policies here. Upload what you already have. If the carrier is one we are appointed with in Michigan, one signed letter moves the policy to CoverMatch with no change to carrier, coverage or price; if not, we quote a replacement now or before the renewal. The wallet only holds policies CoverMatch takes care of.

Control them here. Renewal dates, documents, the roster of locations, vehicles and staff, and a live certificate for every landlord, contractor, platform or client in the list above, all in one place and current on their own.

Let us match you. When a childcare center in Michigan needs general liability, professional liability (E&O), commercial property, we compare quotes from the carriers we are appointed with on coverage first and price second, and a licensed agent is one tap away at every step.

Sources

Questions people actually ask

Does Michigan require a childcare center to carry workers' compensation?

A private employer must carry coverage if it regularly employs three or more employees at one time, or employs one or more employees for 35 or more hours a week for 13 or more weeks in the preceding 52. Whether a worker is an employee is decided by Michigan's own test of control and independence, not by the form you file, and workers who fail it are added at audit.

What insurance does a Michigan childcare center need to sign a lease or win a contract?

Usually general liability, professional liability (E&O), commercial property; Landlords & commercial leases typically ask for general liability with the landlord as additional insured, property coverage on tenant improvements and workers' compensation. A live certificate from the wallet answers each request without a new call to the agent, and changes to the policy update it on their own.

What auto coverage does Michigan require for a childcare center's vehicles?

The state minimum limits: Residual bodily injury liability of at least $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident (the default is $250,000 / $500,000 unless the lower limit is selected in writing) and $10,000 property damage for out-of-state accidents, plus $1,000,000 of property protection insurance for damage to other people's property in Michigan. Business policies are written above those limits because leases, platforms and clients ask for more, and hired and non-owned auto covers staff who use their own cars for the work.

Can CoverMatch take over the policies a Michigan childcare center already has?

When the carrier is one we are appointed with in Michigan, one signed broker-of-record letter moves the policy into the wallet with no change to carrier, coverage or price, and the live certificate and renewal shopping switch on. For any other carrier we quote a replacement now or before the renewal; the wallet only holds policies CoverMatch takes care of.

What limits does state licensing require for a daycare?

Each state sets its own minimums for liability and sometimes for abuse and molestation and auto, and the figures change. Check your state's licensing rules or state page and have the wallet keep the certificate current for the license file.

Is abuse and molestation coverage included in general liability?

Usually excluded or sublimited. A childcare-specific policy includes it with its own limit; a generic small-business policy almost never does. The certificate licensing asks for should show it explicitly.

Do I need coverage for staff driving children in their own cars?

Yes, and most carriers restrict it. Hired and non-owned auto covers the center's liability; some states and carriers require owned, listed vehicles with specific equipment for transporting children.

MANAGE IT IN THE APP

Every policy, renewal and live certificate in one wallet.

Scan a dec page and the card appears. Share a live certificate link that updates itself. Get matched when a renewal comes around.

Daycare & childcare insurance in other states

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