What an umbrella is designed to do
An umbrella or excess policy may provide additional limits above scheduled underlying policies, subject to its own terms. It does not simply make every exclusion disappear or cover every policy in the account.
Schedule the right policies
Confirm whether general liability, professional liability, abuse and molestation, commercial auto, employers liability and other relevant coverage parts are scheduled and accepted. Some umbrellas exclude or sublimit sensitive childcare exposures.
Follow-form is not identical form
Even a policy described as follow-form may contain its own definitions, exclusions, attachment requirements and reporting duties. Compare how it treats abuse, professional services, automobiles and multiple locations.
Underlying limits
Failure to maintain required underlying limits can leave the daycare responsible for a gap. Renewal changes in one policy should be checked against the umbrella schedule.