Commissioner Kuderer to chair NAIC’s Child Care Insurance Working Group

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer has been selected to chair the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ new Child Care Insurance Working Group.

The group, which met for the first time on Monday, was established to address the insurance issues facing childcare services providers — like child-placing agencies and group foster homes — and how those issues impact consumers.  

“Child-placing agencies and group family homes across the country are facing an insurance affordability and availability crisis,” Kuderer said. “We’ve read the research and the reports on what’s impacting these crucial organizations, and it’s time to work on solutions.”

The National Organization for State Associations for Children published a report on the issue in 2025 that called the issue a liability insurance crisis and noted that respondents to its survey had seen an average premium increase of 163% since 2019, and that a quarter of those respondents had seen their premiums increase between 200% and 1800%.

The new working group will explore possible solutions and make recommendations for state insurance regulators to use with the legislature or the childcare agencies in their state. It will also report on federal and state legislation and regulations that reduce childcare claims, specifically those affecting liability damages. 

Kuderer’s office submitted a report to the state legislature in 2025 on the same issues. That report explored the availability and affordability of insurance for child-placing agencies (CPAs), group foster homes (GFHs), childcare centers, and family home childcare providers licensed by the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families. 

The report focused on liability coverages, which include professional liability insurance, sexual abuse coverage, and excess or umbrella coverage. CPAs and GFHs, in particular, are able to find liability coverage for events that may occur in the future, but many insurance companies are unwilling to provide new coverage for potential acts in the past. Without coverage for those prior acts, which could have occurred years in the past, CPAs and GFHs run the risk of financial collapse in the event of a lawsuit.

The working group, vice-chaired by Commissioner of the New Hampshire Insurance Department D.J. Bettencourt, includes 12 additional members and will meet twice a month.