On-call nanny and sitter staffing agency

Families booking occasional or backup care, and sometimes employers, hotels or event organisers that want childcare for staff or guests.

You charge families an hourly rate and pay your caregivers a lower hourly rate. The difference covers your costs and profit. Some agencies also charge a booking or membership fee.

• Scheduling and quick problem solving
• Screening and managing caregivers
• Customer service with anxious parents
• Basic bookkeeping and payroll

• Several provinces require agencies that place or supply workers to hold a licence before operating. Examples include Ontario's licensing of temporary help agencies and the employment agency licences in British Columbia and Alberta. These rules can also limit what fees you may charge caregivers or families. Confirm the rules in your province before taking bookings, because operating without a required licence can lead to penalties
• If your caregivers are employees, you must handle payroll, source deductions, vacation pay and WCB/WSIB. Treating employees as contractors by mistake can cause problems, so check provincial rules
• Get commercial general liability insurance with abuse and molestation cover, plus professional liability. Check what your insurer requires
• Care of children in a family's own home is usually not licensed childcare, but rules differ by province, so check before offering group or in-your-home care
• Demand is uneven, with busy holidays and winter illness peaks. Plan for gaps in bookings and last-minute cancellations

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $3,000 to $12,000, depending on your caregiver screening, insurance, booking tools and marketing. Your own costs will vary with how you set up and how large a pool of sitters you build.

Several provinces require agencies that place or supply workers to hold a licence, such as Ontario's temporary help agency licensing and employment agency licences in British Columbia and Alberta. Check your province's rules, payroll duties for employees, insurance requirements and whether in-home care needs childcare licensing.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how many bookings you fill and your fees. Demand is uneven, with busy holidays and winter illness peaks, so plan for gaps and last-minute cancellations.