How to Start a Babysitting Business: A Complete Guide

If you love children, you can earn money by starting a babysitting business of your own. Alternatively, you can also opt for nanny jobs or become an in-home babysitter.

Babysitting is a business that will always be in demand, with most couples working full time and needing someone to take care of their babies.

Whether you are a teenager looking for extra money by babysitting at home or a stay-at-home mom, you can start a childcare business within a short time.

You can opt for occasional babysitting services or a nanny agency that takes care of children either in your home or at the child’s home.

You can also start a part-time business offering occasional babysitting for parent’s night out, holiday care, and so on after checking out babysitting rates.

For instance, you can offer to babysit every Tuesday when mom has to go grocery shopping, yoga and lunch with friends or run some other errands. This babysitting service could be every week, once in a fortnight, or just once a month.

Do you need a license to babysit in your home? After you have checked out the legal and zonal requirement in your state, create a babysitting business plan focusing on the following steps.

Tips on How to Start a Babysitting Business

Babysitting Business: Certifications

It is not mandatory that babysitters must be certified or have any kind of formal training. That said, potential clients or parents will be more confident of placing their children in your daycare or babysitting services if you have certifications, training, and other skills under your belt. They might also be willing to pay more for the service in case of certified babysitters.

In a 2017 survey by Care.com on babysitters, 60% of parents participating in the survey said that they would be willing to pay more in case the babysitter had safety training certifications like CPR and First Aid.

• Joining such a program can help you to build a credible business in babysitting.

• A certification proves to parents that you are reliable and that you take your job of babysitting seriously.

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Babysitter Rates

Rates for babysitting services depend on the city. For example, the highest rate is paid at San Jose in California, at around $16 an hour. Average babysitting rates hover around $13 an hour.

However, before you decide on the rate for your babysitting business, you can find out the going rates in your area. Check out profiles on babysitter websites to find out what they are charging for their services.

You can also charge based on experience; certifications, and the number of children under your charge.

Finding Babysitters for Your Childcare Service

You can start the business alone to begin with and then expand later when you get more clients. Alternatively, start your business with one or two reputable sitters to begin with by advertising for baby-sitting jobs.

Tip: Learn about the mandatory staff/child ratio.

• Place ads and interview sitters about their child care background and references when you try to find a babysitter. See them in person.

• Put up advertisements on Craigslist and other such sites advertising your babysitting service.

• Make a background check of prospective babysitters you might employ; check them out on social media sites.

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Getting Clients for Your Babysitter Agency

• Create your profile and post it on babysitting websites.

• Send flyers to neighbors, friends, and acquaintances; Post ads in coffee shops and nearby stores and print babysitting business cards.

• Use Social Media. Advertise on your Facebook page. Send emails to contacts describing your new business.

• Advertise in churches; create door-hangers; publish in local newspapers. Approach local libraries. Create brochures and advertise on Craigslist and Indeed.com.

• Sign up at babysitting services / websites.

• Check out online resources for finding clients.

• Retain existing clients by doing something extra if you’re babysitting at clients’ homes.

Tip: For instance, you could clean up the dishes and the house after the kids sleep.

• Keep in regular touch with clients so that you become their regular and favorite babysitter.

• Join community events to promote your babysitting service. Set up a booth at local festivals; offer stickers and gifts to children and distribute flyers to parents.

• Distribute flyers to local doctors and at toy stores and book stores to promote your babysitting services.

Create a Babysitting Website

An online presence is a must for babysitting businesses, as many parents look for such services on the Internet.

• List references for your babysitter business.

• Mention the facilities in your home.

• Detail the games and other activities that are performed; the menus, special meals, and so on.

• List the charges for the service.

• Make sure to offer different payment options and offer an enrollment form.

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Promoting Your Nanny Service

• Get references from the parents of children you are already taking care of in your babysitting service.

• Post these babysitting references on your website.

• Offer discounts for new clients brought in by your existing client to your babysitting business.

Skills Required for Being a Baby Sitter

(Source – care.com)

• Be imaginative and create fun games, crafts, and activities for the babies/children. You don’t want the children to be watching TV all the time.

• Reliable and Responsible. This is a top skill every babysitter must have. Parents would only leave their kids with someone on whom they can totally depend on and trust.

• Be patient but authoritative. Enforce rules that parents have set out.