Welcome to our website

You have devoted yourself to not only caring for but protecting others—and as a Non Profit provider; you face a distinctive set of risks.

With years of specialization insuring Non Profit and Child Care specific risks, we make finding appropriate, custom coverage easy for you.

The more we improve your financial position, the more people you can positively impact. We kinda like that!!

March 21st, 2012

Demographic Shift Presents Opportunity for Nursery School & Day Care Owners

Although we use this space to speak mainly about risk, we suggest that not being forward thinking and taking advantage of opportunities in turn may put your business at risk as you may cede market share to your nearest competitor whose resources continue to grow while yours stagnate.

Yeah that was a classic run on sentence but the points made are still spot on. I know that in the New York City & outlying suburbs there has been tremendous growth & shift into different neighborhoods and outlying areas. What strikes me square on the little forehead wrinkles is that in many of these areas there are no great choices for daycare or pre k nursery school programs. In a NY Times article written by Soni Sangha entitled The Pre K Underground, she makes a great point that in under served areas parents are taking matters into their own hands as they develop in home schooling alternatives due to lack of availability, affordability or both.

In some areas like Harlem , neighborhoods in the Bronx and Brooklyn an amazing amount of new affordable housing units have come on line. Similar opportunities exist in New Rochelle , Mount Vernon, and White Plains, all located in Westchester County NY where  much of the infrastructure hasn’t caught up with the new arriving families. For our purposes I am speaking directly to nursery school & day care owners as it relates to infrastructure.

Did I get your juices flowing? If I did here’s where you may start. I would try to nail down statistically where the most growth occurred over the last 2 to 3 years. There is an interesting site called ESRI that for a small fee you can do most of your demographic mapping to figure out what neighborhoods have had outsized growth. You can also check your county web site or State Government web site for new housing developments and projects that just came on line. Any housing development that was funded with public money probably has a blizzard of press releases surrounding the funding, groundbreaking and topping off of a particular project.

Once you have identified the high growth areas then you try and drill into the population demographic, i.e. young families, and correlate that into  potential facilities that can offer programs. Find the holes and find the opportunities. Hopefully you will think of us when you need to insure those new opportunities as we have a myriad of nursery school insurance programs and options offered in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania , and Connecticut. Helping you put other first through competitive nursery school insurance.

If you liked this article, like us on Facebook so we keeping pumping out these little diddies. It helps us keep going! Thanks for swinging by.

February 29th, 2012

Need Funds to Merge or Coordinate Your Non Profit??

New York based Sea Change Capital Partners can help! On February 28th the organization announced the launch of a $1 million dollar NYC Merger Acquisition and Collaboration Fund to ease the path for charities to combine their efforts.

In a Wall Street Journal article published on February 28th, 2012 John MacIntosh, Partner at Sea Change Capital, was quoted as saying “We are looking to remove obstacles so that natural things can happen.” The pool of money is to be used for grant making for important expenses that are critical to knitting two non profits together. The expenses typically include: legal and accounting services, real estate changes, severance for outgoing executives, and meeting/travel expenses.

If you are considering merging with another Non Profit, or may consider coordinating a benefit or service to your constituents we suggest that you reach out to Sea Change Capital Partners directly to help make your vision a reality.

February 14th, 2012

Tips On Preventing Playground Injuries

In speaking with several insurance claims adjusters and underwriters of insurance carriers who write Nursery School Insurance and Daycare Insurance,  playgrounds yield consistently the highest injury rates. Makes sense right? Anyone who has spent more than 5 minutes on a playground has certainly been witness to a “near miss”.
As someone who underwrites insurance coverage for many types of nursery schools , day cares,  and community centers  we think it’s critically important to remind folks who own and manage these facilities of some of the basics. In fact we encourage you the reader to pass this article around your facility to boost playground safety awareness.
We found a great site entitled www.brainline.org whose whole mission is to provide information to families and care givers who have had an experience with traumatic brain injuries. We offer these tips so your kids could avoid this terrible fate.

Playground Injury & Death Statistics

  • Over 200,000 children visit emergency rooms each year due to playground injuries.3

  • Every year 15 children perish due to incidents involving playground equipment.4

  • 79% of ALL playground injuries involve falls.

  • Playground Falls account for 90% of the worst playground injuries.5

  • 58% of playground fatalities are due to strangulation.6

Kid at playground

Playground Injuries Occur When….

  • 62% of organized sports injuries occur during practice, and 75% of all school-related spinal cord injuries happen during sports activities.7

  • Football is responsible for the highest injury rate among school-organized sports.8

  • Home injuries on playground equipment account for 23% of the annual injury rates.9

  • 76% of all injuries take place on public playgrounds.10

Who Is Most Likely to Incur This Type of Injury?

  • Males account for 62% of all playground deaths.11

  • Males are three times more likely to incur a school-related injury.12

  • 46% of school-related injuries are to those ages 10-14.13

  • 49% of injuries to the head and face are to children age four and under.14

The High Cost Of Playground  Injuries

  • School-related medical costs for children age 14 and under account for more than $2 billion in medical spending each year.15

  • The total annual cost of school-related injuries to children ages 14 and under exceeds $74 billion, which includes medical spending, loss in quality of life and future earnings.16

Playground Injury Safety  Tips

  • Playground equipment is designed for children of various ages and groups. Be sure your equipment is age appropriate.

  • Equipment under four feet tall is suitable for children under 5, equipment under eight feet tall is typically designed  for those ages 5-12.

  • Never EVER leave children unsupervised. Basic but often forgotten.

  • Ban cell phone use for aides, teachers, or supervisors that are on playground duty so they are not distracted.

  • To better absorb shocks from falls, make sure at least 12 inches of loose fill like wood chips, gravel, shredded tires, double shredded bark mulch, fine gravel or sand covers the entire playground floor.

  • Make sure any “S” hooks , or other hooking related hazards are closed as much as possible. We want to avoid anything a child may become caught, eliminating the threat of strangulation.

  • Place a bar at the top of a slide so children will have to sit before going down.

  • Make sure guardrails protect children from unintended falls from elevated platforms.

  • Consistently inspect the equipment. Institute a strict maintenance schedule and have sign offs that the equipment has been inspected.

  • Maintain inspection and repair logs for the equipment.

Inspect children’s clothes for hoods or drawstrings that may catch on equipment. Remove them prior to letting the children on the equipment.

Click Playground Safety Fact Sheet to down load a  PDF version.

Footnotes:

November 19th, 2011

You Can’t Buy Enough Insurance For This !!

Like most everyone else in the country you can’t help but get wrapped up in the Penn State scandal. As a long time fan of Penn State Football , and a parent of 3 young children I am horrified, disappointed, and angry all in the same potent elixir. I have yet to speak to anyone who doesn’t share at least some point of view.

 

What strikes me most when viewing this situation from the prism of my own profession (risk management & insurance broker) are a few very interesting observations that jump out at me which I feel compelled to share.

RISK MANAGEMENT TAKEAWAYS :

 

1)   Sandusky would have passed most if not all of the State run, or vendor purchased background checks any responsible Non Profit or teaching institution would have conducted before entrusting their resources and most precious treasure their children.  He had no history of child abuse or being a sexual predator. My takeaway here is that background checks, while a critical safety net and an important tool are not the end all be all in protecting any business , institution or non profit from the perils of a poor hire or rogue employee. Your responsibility and the continuity of your organization goes far beyond an initial background check. Background checks are step A in the responsibility alphabet.

 

2)   You can’t buy enough insurance to cover the Board of Directors or the Non Profit itself  of Second Mile. The potential net income loss on their financial statements is enormous, further  the potential litigation each Board Member may encounter that may pierce the corporate veil and into their personal assets is a potential nightmare scenario. As of this writing according to the NY Times the Board just decided to begin the process of shutting it’s doors. The result of poor risk or any other form of basic management.

 

 

3)   When your work product is children, seniors, or the disenfranchised you must be vigilant every single day in watching, monitoring and training your staff. Having a systematic set of protocols, making sure your staff is aware of the red flags and how to respond to a query or red flag is critical. Failure to do so kills your “brand” and your work product  which is not covered by insurance. It’s not uncommon for a Nursery School to lose 80% of their clientele if abuse is asserted. There is NO insurance for that.

 

4)   There is no substitute for “Awareness & Communication”. We are strong proponents of properly educating both parents and children on what is appropriate and what is not. Keeping the lines of communication as open as possible between child, parent , and facility. A child’s safety is the mutual responsibility of everyone not just the facility. Share that responsibility thru education and communication with ALL stakeholders. If your systems fail, which invariably they can, creating a culture of “Awareness” and Communication” can stop a predator dead in their tracks preventing further damage. The survival of your organization and business will then depend on the actions or in actions taken after the knowledge an “event” had taken place.

 

 

5)   Have a very clear reporting policy consistent with your goals and values as an institution; share it with staff, and parents. Be open about it, scream it from the hills. If a predator sees that your facility is aggressive and vigilant about child safety they may pick an easier target. Set up the protocols in advance to take the emotion out of it. Make it a check list so no one has to think. We strongly advocate retaining the services of a specialist labor attorney who can help you craft a policy that strikes a balance between legal compliance , your goals and values. If you don’t know a good one, please let us recommend Jackson Lewis LP which specializes in this arena and has offices all over the country. Richard Landau is attorney we have had great results with for a number of our clients.

 

I can drone on here however I will spare you . There are so many rich discussion points when a tragedy like the Penn State Scandal occurs. I will post further  on this topic as I believe it so important. The perils and the strategies for being a best practices facility, non profit or business can really dictate both continuity of care for your constituents as well as helping attract future donors and board members. We hope to have in the future examples of best practice action plans,  steps to take, guest speakers and panelist that will add substantive value , assisting our clients, and readership in avoiding being a target of a Sandusky like predator.

 

There is no substitute for being proactive about creating a culture of awareness and communication in your organization. A child’s safety is our mutual responsibility  so let’s treat it that way to achieve the best possible outcome because you just can’t buy enough insurance if you fail!

October 17th, 2011

Did You Know That Non Profits Can Avoid Unemployment Insurance?

In case you didn’t know, 501(c)(3) organizations are not obligated to pay unemployment taxes.  Non profit organizations typically are not aware of this option since the state unemployment office rarely provides this information. Nonprofits can choose to protect themselves by participating in a private unemployment trust such as The Nonprofit Trust. Funding unemployment obligations this way can help nonprofits substantially reduce their costs, especially if the organization has over $1,000,000 in payroll.

The option has existed since 1972 which was when nonprofits were required to provide unemployment benefits to their employees. They were given an option that the private sector does not have – Becoming a reimbursing employer.
.
Lets go in to a bit more detail. The employee laid off from a reimbursing employer still files a claim at the unemployment office and still receives checks from the department. The difference is a reimbursing employer does not pay unemployment taxes, but instead reimburses the state for actual unemployment claims paid on their behalf.
.
So the only change is in how the organization funds the benefit. Typically they fund it by paying the unemployment tax, but this is rarely the best way for a nonprofit organization to fund unemployment claims because of the following:
  1. Nonprofit employees often make less in wages yet nonprofit employers are still charged just as much, if not more, than private sector employers.
  2. Nonprofit employers tend to have more part-time labor which actually increases unemployment tax expenses.
  3. Nonprofits usually have lower unemployment claims than private sector employers.
Contact a Risk Advisor at Metropolitan Risk Advisory to get more information about the program as well as our other cost saving programs.
.
The tax system as a whole has contributed to the problem because:
  1. Due to the economy, unemployment taxes increased in 29 states last year. (Increases were as high as 161% in certain states).
  2. Over 25 state unemployment departments are now insolvent and borrowing money from the Fed. just to pay claims, increasing the need to increase tax rates. This number is expected to climb to nearly 40 by the end of 2011!
  3. States are overpaying claims in error by more than $1,000,000,000 per year!, and the problem is increasing due to the sheer volume of claims being processed due to the economy.
The Nonprofit Trust, mentioned above, offers your clients a safe, secure and cost effective alternative to the unemployment tax system in every state. In addition to the savings, the Nonprofit Trust offers a variety of services not available through State Tax systems:
  1. Savings average between 40% and 50% EVERY year.
  2. Claims administration handles all communications with the unemployment office including initial notifications, claims protests, hearing representation, etc., reducing staff time spent on unemployment, driving claims costs down by winning more cases than employers do on their own (94% vs. less than 50% for employers) and by auditing every single claim processed, catching overpayments made by the states and they are corrected.
  3. Free Human Resources Hotline that assists with any type of HR issue, not just unemployment related issues, which can save the nonprofit time and money in getting the answer they need.
Contact a Risk Advisor at Metropolitan Risk Advisory  to get more information about the program as well as our other cost saving programs for non profits. 
September 29th, 2011

High Workers Compensation Costs? A Susan Harwood Grant May Provide The Answer

The U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA recently awarded $10.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to 37 new and 32 returning recipients! These grateful recipients include nonprofits, community & faith based groups, business & trade associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, and colleges/universities.

What are Susan Harwood grants?

Typically these grants are awarded with the goal that no man or woman should be forced to risk injury or death for a paycheck. Awarded by the federal government, they provide tools for workers and employers in some of the most dangerous industries in America to identify and eliminate hazards. The money goes towards education and training that will help ensure that every worker returns home safely at the end of their work day.

Who is eligible?

The program awards grants to nonprofit organizations on a competitive basis.Target audiences include under served, low-literacy, and workers in high-hazard industries. Workers that are otherwise vulnerable, and small business employers, are also a primary audience. Since 1978 almost 2 million workers have been trained through the program.

Potential benefit?

In an analysis conducted by Metropolitan Risk Advisory we see an average of 37% cost savings on workers compensation insurance and other related costs that are there for the taking. The problem is that many small businesses and non profits lack the staffing and knowledge to deliver a substantial portion of that savings thus they stay within that escalated cost spiral perpetuated by the insurance carriers. These Susan Hayward grants help fund that discovery process that incorporates training and other resources to help struggling small businesses and non profits reduced cost in perpetuity.

This year:

  • “$3.2 million in Capacity Building Developmental grants to 20 new organizations that will develop their expertise and capacity to provide occupational health and safety education to their constituents”
  • “$400,000 to five organizations for pilot grants to lay the groundwork for a self-sufficient safety and health education program.”
  • “$1.3 million to 10 organizations to provide Targeted Topic Training grants”
  • “$100,000 to two organizations for Training and Educational Material Development grants which must address one of the occupational safety and health topics designated by OSHA.”
  • “$5.7 million in returning or follow-on funding to 32 recipients of prior year Capacity Building Developmental grants that had demonstrated satisfactory performance.”

Visit the OSHA Web site for a complete list of the 2011 Susan Harwood grant recipients. A simpler and equally cost effective way to achieve the 37% savings is to speak to a risk advisor who can analyze your data and help you develop a strategy to capture this savings without paying a fee! In addition please make sure that your employees are protected with a sound and cost effective workers compensation insurance policy. Please contact one of our risk advisors at Metropolitan Risk Advisory with any questions or concerns that you may have.

August 18th, 2011

Important Trends In The Childcare & Nursery School Industry

If you are an executive director, or owner of a daycare/nursery school business it is important to be alert to important indicators within your industry. We found the following data through First Research, a provider of industry intelligence tools primarily to the private equity industry.

THESE ARE THE UNDERLYING NURSERY SCHOOL / DAYCARE TRENDS AS OF 2nd QUARTER 2011.

1. Demographics
The population of children in the target area for child care is anticipated to rise over the next 10 years. This will create a larger demand for child care services. It is predicted that the number of children under 5 will increase by 8 percent and the number of children between ages 5 and 13 will increase by 10 percent. ( Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics )
2. Government Spending

Government spending has been increasing. Almost 35% of the child care industry revenue comes from government spending. ( Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics )

3. Real Time Online Surveillance

Centers throughout the nation are now using online video to allow family members to watch their children from their computers. Parents are not able to hear what is happening but can see their children in real time. It is anticipated that more and more child care centers will implement this technology even though there are some privacy concerns. ( Source: Risk & Insurance Management Society)

4. Nannies Are Strong Competition

Nannies compete directly with child care centers. They typically work 40-60 hour weeks and make an average of $500 per week. They do not typically live on the premises. (Bureau of Labor & Statistics)

Consider Also The Following:
  • U.S Personal Income rose over 5% in March 2011 compared to the same month in 2010.
  • Employment at U.S child care facilities rose 1% in Feb. 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. This followed a 1.3% increase in January.
  • Overall U.S employment rose .7% in January and 1% in February.
  • Total revenue in the United States for child care services rose over 6% in the last quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.
  • The price of crude oil, which has an effect on the energy costs of child care facilities, rose 32% in the first week of May 2011 compared to the same week in 2010.

Employment (which is an indicator of demand) and revenue are rising. These are key indicators considering when more people are working that means more people need to send their kids to daycare which should  lead to increased demand for daycare & nursery school placement.

We hope you found this information helpful.  Of course none of this information is relevant if your facility suffers a loss that is not fully covered by your nursery school Insurance , child care insurance and day care insurance . Contact Risk Advisor jhague@metriskadvisory.com or visit our website at  Metropolitan Risk Advisory for a free coverage analysis. Chances are this review is years over due.

August 8th, 2011

Highest Paying States For Executives Directors of Nursery School & Day Care Facilities

Congratulations if you have the foresight of living and working in New York and are an Executive Director or Administrator of Child Care Services that plan, direct, or coordinate the academic and non academic activities of preschool and childcare centers or programs. This job title does not include nursery school or preschool teachers. Of course if you think this is valuable information, contact a risk advisor to find out which insurance carriers offer the most coverage for the lowest rates. We would love to share that with you too!

Top Paying States For This Occupation: 

( Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics – As of May 2010 Data) 

State Employment(1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 3,910 0.47 1.18 $32.41 $67,400
District of Columbia 380 0.59 1.48 $29.41 $61,160
Massachusetts 1,940 0.62 1.56 $27.93 $58,090
Illinois 2,520 0.46 1.14 $27.49 $57,190
Rhode Island 150 0.33 0.82 $27.19 $56,550

Top Paying Metropolitan Areas For This Occupation: 

( Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics – As of May 2010 Data) 

Metropolitan area Employment(1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Flint, MI 100 0.83 2.07 $41.49 $86,300
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 40 0.04 0.09 $40.83 $84,920
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ 40 0.60 1.51 $36.08 $75,040
Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH NECTA Division 100 0.85 2.12 $35.84 $74,540
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metropolitan Division 50 0.10 0.24 $35.61 $74,070
Visalia-Porterville, CA 30 0.26 0.65 $34.95 $72,690
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,650 0.53 1.33 $34.95 $72,690
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division 60 0.66 1.65 $34.79 $72,370
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 480 0.50 1.26 $34.40 $71,560
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 510 0.43 1.07 $33.39 $69,450

Non-Metropolitan Areas With The Highest Employment In This Occupation: 

( Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics – As of May 2010 Data) 

Nonmetropolitan area Employment(1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 270 1.53 3.83 $24.43 $50,820
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 160 0.65 1.64 $20.09 $41,780
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 150 0.51 1.28 $20.11 $41,830
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 130 1.26 3.17 $32.15 $66,880
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 110 1.14 2.86 $20.36 $42,360
« Older Entries
RSS FeedSubscribe to Our RSS feed!
Follow Us on Twitter!Follow Us on Twitter!