By TherésePalmiotto, Commercial Middle Markets Underwriter, The TravelersCo., Inc.

After being out of the office for a few months on maternityleave after the birth of my son Dominick, it was time to put downmy diaper bag and pick up my briefcase. With a few weeks leftbefore going back to work, I had to start evaluating my options forchild care. As anyone who has done this can assure you, this is nota pleasant or exciting experience—especially for an insuranceprofessional who understands the risks involved.

To help reduce some of the stress of the process, I put on myinsurance hat and looked at each option through the eyes of anunderwriter. Evaluating the exposures and controls, from fireescapes to slip-and-fall potential, helped my husband and I to makean educated and informed decision. In addition to the basiclogistics parents use to make a decision, such as location,security and teacher experience, I thought it would be helpful toshare some of the surprising insurance-based evaluations thathelped us along the way.

1. Workers' Compensation:

Because your focus is on your own child's safety, it may seemstrange to think about workers' compensation or employee safetywhen checking out a facility. However, staffers will be carrying myinfant son, so ensuring that the workers are operating in a safeenvironment means reduced loss exposure that will directly affecthis well being.

Some of the most common employee injuries include slip-and-fallsand back strains. When evaluating a day care, make sure thecondition of the floor coverings are satisfactory and that theemployees are wearing non-slip footwear. Several areas of thecenter are prone to be wet and slippery, including kitchens,bathrooms and diaper change areas, as well as entryways from theoutside pool/sprinkler areas. Proper footwear makes it less likelythat my child will be injured as the result of an employeefall.

Daycare workers are also exposed to communicable diseases thatare common to young children. A good center will require employeesto use disposable gloves with every diaper change and whenever theycome in contact with bodily fluids. Employees should also berequired to wash their hands with soap and water before preparingor serving food and after using the bathroom or assisting childrenin the restroom. This protects the employee and helps reduce thepotential that children will be further exposed to germs anddiseases.

2. Property:

Determining the construction class and protection grade may seemirrelevant to the safety of a daycare center, but taking a lookaround can tell you a lot about the overall controls and managementof the property. If the facility has a kitchen, ask to take a tour.You should feel comfortable with the level of cleanliness and walkaway feeling like the director is dedicated to providing a safeenvironment. Electric stoves are preferable to gas because thereare no open flames. Hoods, ducts, filters and fans should becleaned regularly. Stoves should also be equipped with hood andduct fire suppression systems so a small kitchen fire can becontrolled and eliminated before it can spread. Look to see whatsort of sprinkler protection is in place, and the location ofmanual pull fire alarms. Acknowledging that all these devices werein place helped me feel better. I wasn't really concerned withbuilding loss per se, but these controls meant that if there was afire, the staff would have more time to get the children out tosafety.

3. Business Income:

This may be one of the furthest things from your mind whenlooking at the best place to send little Jack or Emma, but thisline of coverage can directly affect you. Asking questions andunderstanding if the center has evaluated its exposure in the eventof a full loss can provide an insight into their planning process.If there's a loss, finding a replacement location could take thefacility an extended period of time due to the number ofinspections. In addition, their business depends on location, soask the director about their business plan if they haveto temporarily relocate. Approximately how long would take thefacility to rebuild? Do they have a contract with another localfacility that could take their children in the interim? Knowingthat they are prepared and can recover quickly from a loss meansthat the director understands the importance of their facility andsees the big picture.

For parents, many factors go into the tough decision of choosinga day care facility for their child. Taking a risk managementapproach provides an additional way to consider the child-carefacilities you visit in your search. A good question to ask is:Would you insure it? You should leave your child's care in thehands of a facility that you would feel comfortable with from aninsurance perspective.