8 Essential KPIs Every Nanny Agency Should Be Tracking (and Why They Matter)
Published on July 11, 2025 by Dan Wenger
Running a successful nanny/sitter agency means managing people, expectations, and operations – often all at once! You’re juggling schedules, building trust with families, supporting your caregivers, and much more, to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. While it can be hugely rewarding work, without visibility into how your business is operating behind the scenes, it can feel a lot harder than it needs to be.
Whether you’re already tracking a few key numbers or just starting to think more strategically, knowing what to measure – and why – can take a lot of guesswork out of your day-to-day. The right metrics don’t just support long-term growth, they also make running your agency easier, more predictable, and less reactive.
That’s where KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) come in. They are like the dashboard in your car: you don’t need to be a mechanic, but it helps to know when the gas is low, how fast you’re going, or if it’s time for a tune-up. The same goes for your business.
In this article, we’ll break down eight essential KPIs every nanny/sitter agency should be tracking, including:
- what they mean
- why they matter
- what they can tell you
- how to track and measure them
– plus how they can help you manage and grow your agency with more clarity, confidence, and control.
What are KPIs, and how can they help your agency?
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are simply measurable ways to understand how your business is performing. Think of them as the vital signs of your business – like a pulse check that shows how things are going across different areas, from caregiver reliability to family satisfaction and financial growth.
Instead of relying on instinct or guesswork, KPIs give you hard data. They help you identify what’s working well, what needs attention, and where to best spend your energy (and budget!). For example, tracking how long it takes to place a nanny with a family can highlight inefficiencies in your recruitment process – or show how efficient your team already is!
KPIs aren’t just for big companies. They’re just as valuable for nanny/sitter agencies of all sizes – especially those who want to boost efficiency, provide the best experience for their families and caregivers, and grow with confidence.
With the right tools, tracking KPIs doesn’t have to be time-consuming or overwhelming. Platforms like Aaniie Kids make it simple with built-in dashboards and real-time reporting features, so you can stay on top of what matters – without drowning in a sea of data.
Once you know what to look for, KPIs can become a powerful part of your everyday decision-making. So, let’s take a look at the eight KPIs you should be tracking.
The 8 essential KPIs every nanny agency should be tracking
In this section, we’ll walk you through eight core KPIs, grouped into four key categories of your business:
We’ve also included additional KPIs for each area, which will be helpful when you’re ready to dig a little deeper or want to fine-tune a specific part of your agency’s performance.
Quality of care
Your agency’s reputation depends on the quality of care you provide and how well you deliver a dependable, positive experience for both families and caregivers. Tracking care-focused KPIs helps you maintain high standards, address issues before they escalate, and build long-term relationships founded on trust.
KPI 1: Client/family satisfaction scores
What it means: This measures how happy families are with the childcare services your agency provides – from bookings and communication to caregiver matching.
Why it matters: Satisfied families are more likely to return, refer others, and leave positive reviews. This KPI provides a direct line into how your clients perceive your agency, helping you identify areas for improvement and nip any problems in the bud.
What it tells you: High scores suggest your placements, communication, and support are hitting the mark. Lower scores can reveal issues like mismatched caregivers, poor onboarding, or communication gaps.
How to measure and track it: Use short, regular surveys after each booking or at regular intervals, asking families to rate their experience on a 1–10 scale. Use follow-up questions to uncover specific strengths and weaknesses.
Tools like Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, or automated feedback features embedded in childcare platforms like Aaniie Kids make it easy to collect, track, and review scores over time.
KPI 2: Repeat booking rate
What it means: This measures how many families return to your agency for additional placements after their first experience.
Why it matters: Repeat bookings often mean your placements are hitting the mark. A strong repeat booking rate not only reduces the cost and effort of constantly finding new clients but also shows that families are happy to return – a great indicator of your agency’s reputation.
What it tells you: A high repeat booking rate suggests you’re building strong relationships and delivering consistently positive experiences. A low rate may indicate issues with caregiver performance, placement quality, communication, or follow-up.
How to measure and track it: Count the number of families who’ve used your service more than once in a given time frame and divide by your total number of families. Multiply by 100 to get a percentage. For example, 36 out of 80 clients returned – your repeat client rate is 45%.
Additional KPIs to consider:
To dig deeper into quality-related issues, these extra KPIs can offer more detailed insights:
- Number of complaints or incidents – Useful for identifying recurring problems (like punctuality issues) or safety concerns.
- Match success rate – Measures how many initial placements lead to a successful outcome without needing reassignment.
- Rate of long-term placements – Indicates how well your agency finds and supports lasting, stable care relationships.
- Client retention rate – Measures how many families stay with your agency over a set period (e.g., 6 months, 1 year), providing a longer-term view of satisfaction and loyalty.
These metrics often influence satisfaction and repeat booking rates – but tracking them individually can be helpful if you’re trying to troubleshoot or improve specific aspects of your service.
Human resources / Staffing
Tracking HR and staffing KPIs can help you build a more reliable and engaged team of caregivers while also improving efficiency and reducing costly turnover. With the right data, you can refine your hiring and placement processes, enhance caregiver satisfaction, and cultivate a more stable, loyal team.
KPI 3: Time-to-fill positions
What it means: Time-to-fill measures how long it takes from when a family requests a nanny to when the position is successfully filled.
Why it matters: Families expect timely support, especially in backup care situations, and long delays can erode trust or send them elsewhere. For caregivers, delays can significantly affect job satisfaction and retention. It also impacts your cash flow – faster placements mean quicker revenue and fewer gaps between jobs.
What it tells you: Delayed placements can highlight bottlenecks like slow background checks, a limited talent pool, or inconsistent follow-up with candidates. Shorter timelines often signal a strong database, streamlined communication, and effective onboarding.
How to measure and track it: Measure the number of days between when a job becomes available and when a nanny is officially placed. Top-performing agencies average 6-12 weeks for a permanent nanny placement.
If you’re using an all-in-one platform like Aaniie Kids you can already set custom workflows, making it easy to assess your agency’s responsiveness and efficiency.
KPI 4: Caregiver retention rate
What it means: The percentage of caregivers who stay with your agency over a set period (e.g., 6 months, 1 year).
Why it matters: Strong retention reduces hiring costs, ensures more stable childcare for families, and strengthens your agency’s reputation. It’s also a key driver of operational efficiency.
What it tells you: Whether caregivers feel valued, supported, and satisfied in their roles. If caregivers leave frequently or quickly, it might point to problems with your onboarding, mismatched expectations, or poor communication.
How to measure and track it: Divide the number of caregivers who stay longer than a defined period (e.g., 6 or 12 months) by the total number of hires. Track this through your HR records or placement system, and review quarterly trends to spot patterns.
Additional KPIs to consider:
If you want to explore staff-related issues in more depth, these extra KPIs can offer more detailed insights:
- Caregiver qualifications and certifications – Ensures your team meets required standards and supports successful placements, including CPR or newborn care.
- Applicant-to-new hire rate – Measures the efficiency of your hiring funnel in converting candidates.
- Cost-per-hire – Calculates how much it costs to recruit and onboard each new nanny, which is helpful for budgeting and refining recruitment sources.
- Employee engagement or satisfaction – Internal surveys help you monitor morale and flag retention risks.
Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing are vital to your agency’s growth, but without tracking the right KPIs, it’s easy to waste time and money on strategies that don’t deliver. Monitoring performance in this area can help identify your best lead sources, how effectively you convert leads, and whether your outreach is really paying off. With the right insights, you can attract more of the right families – and do it more efficiently.
KPI 5: Number of new leads
What it means: This is the number of new families or prospects who express interest in your agency – through your website, phone, email, social media, referrals, or in-person inquiries.
Why it matters: Lead flow is the first step in filling your placement pipeline. Monitoring it regularly helps ensure your agency stays visible, competitive, and positioned for growth.
What it can tell you: Which marketing channels, campaigns, and outreach strategies are driving interest, when demand tends to spike, and where to adjust efforts to boost inquiries.
How to measure and track it: Use a CRM, spreadsheet, or a platform like Aaniie Kids with built-in tools to log each new lead and its source. Break down totals by channel, campaign, referral, or time period to see what’s driving results – and where to focus next.
KPI 6: Lead-to-client conversion rate
What it means: This measures the percentage of inquiries that turn into paying clients. It shows how effectively your agency moves families from initial interest to booked service.
Why it matters: This KPI highlights how well your agency turns interest into income. Strong conversion means your team is building trust, addressing concerns, and delivering a smooth intake experience.
What it can tell you: Which parts of your funnel are working – or not. It can reveal which lead sources convert best, where drop-offs happen, and how to refine messaging, follow-up, or pricing to close more clients.
How to measure and track it: Divide the number of new clients by the number of total inquiries over a set period – and multiply by 100. (For example, 12 clients from 60 leads = 20% conversion.) This metric is easy to track with Aaniie Kids’ built-in CRM tools, which automatically calculate your conversion rate and highlight your top-performing lead sources – so you can focus your efforts for maximum impact.
Additional KPIs to consider:
To dig deeper into sales and marketing performance, these additional KPIs can offer further insights:
- Client acquisition cost (CAC) – Measures how much it costs (in marketing and sales spend) to bring in each new client. Useful for understanding ROI and budgeting for growth.
- Top lead sources – Tracks where your best leads are coming from (e.g., referrals, website, social media), which can help you focus time and budget on what’s working.
- Referral rate – The percentage of new clients who come from word-of-mouth or referrals. A strong referral rate suggests high client satisfaction and brand trust.
- Marketing return on investment (ROI) – Compares the revenue generated from marketing efforts against how much you’ve spent. A helpful metric for evaluating campaign performance.
Financial
You don’t need to be a trained accountant to keep a handle on your agency’s finances. Tracking just a few core financial KPIs can help you understand the health of your business. These numbers tell you whether your agency is growing, stagnant, or facing challenges – giving you the clarity you need to plan ahead with confidence.
KPI 7: Revenue growth rate
What it means: This measures how much your agency’s revenue is increasing (or decreasing) over a specific period – usually month-over-month or year-over-year.
Why it matters: Revenue growth is a key indicator of your agency’s overall health and momentum. It reflects how well your childcare services, pricing, and operations are working together to drive financial progress.
What it can tell you: Whether recent marketing or service additions are paying off. If you’re growing steadily or stretching too quickly. When it’s time to invest in new hires, specialized services, or system upgrades – or to hold steady.
How to measure and track it: Subtract your previous period’s revenue from your current period’s revenue, divide the result by the previous period’s revenue, then multiply by 100 to get the percentage growth.
Example: [(This month’s revenue – Last month’s revenue) / Last month’s revenue] x 100
Most bookkeeping or agency management software (including Aaniie Kids) can generate this figure automatically, but you can track it manually using a spreadsheet.
KPI 8: Business profits
What it means: Business profit is the amount of money your agency keeps after all expenses are paid – including wages, insurance, marketing, and admin costs. It’s the difference between your total revenue and total operating costs.
Why it matters: Profit is what sustains and grows your agency. Even with strong revenue, low profit can signal underlying issues. Tracking it ensures your pricing, budgeting, and resource allocation are setting you up for healthy, long-term stability.
What it can tell you: Whether your pricing covers your costs. If certain expenses are eating into your earnings. If your growth is actually making you more money. Understanding your profits helps you make smarter decisions about when to spend, where to cut back, or how to grow sustainably.
How to measure and track it: Start with your total revenue for a given period, subtract all operating expenses, and the result is your profit. You can calculate this on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.
Use simple accounting software or a care agency platform like Aaniie Kids to track your profits regularly, monitor trends, and make adjustments in real time – without getting lost in complex spreadsheets.
Additional KPIs to consider:
If you want to deep dive into your agency’s financial performance, these extra KPIs can provide more detailed insights:
- Average revenue per placement – Shows how much income each placement typically brings in, providing valuable insights for pricing and planning.
- Total active clients/families – Tracks the number of families currently using your services, providing a useful indicator of growth and stability.
- Cash flow – Monitors money coming in and out, helping ensure you can cover expenses and stay financially healthy.
- Client lifetime value (CLV) – Estimates total revenue from a typical client over time; useful for long-term planning and budgeting.
Tracking what matters: Smarter growth starts with the right KPIs
When you’re juggling families, placements, and caregivers, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really driving your success. That’s where KPIs come in. The right metrics help you move beyond instinct to make data-informed decisions, solve problems more efficiently, and grow with greater control and clarity.
There’s no need to track every number under the sun! The key is to start with what matters most to your agency: the numbers that reflect your goals or will help shed light on areas where you’re facing challenges.
Whether it’s measuring how long it takes to fill placements or understanding if families return for repeat bookings, each KPI can shine a spotlight on a critical part of your business.
Together, they show what’s working, where improvements are needed, and how to scale sustainably.
That’s where Aaniie Kids comes in
Designed specifically for nanny/sitter agencies, Aaniie Kids makes KPI tracking simple. Use real-time dashboards and custom reports to filter data, monitor trends, and take prompt, informed action.
Whether you want to improve childcare quality, speed up hiring, convert more leads, or boost profits – Aaniie Kids puts your most important numbers front and center.
KPIs turn insight into action – and Aaniie Kids is here to make it easy for you.
Ready to track what matters and run your agency with more clarity and ease?