Production family support
Film industry childcare in Vancouver.
Sunhouse provides short-term Vancouver Babysitters and Nanny Placements for film, television, and commercial production families working in Vancouver, BC. Sitters work in trailers, hotels, Airbnb rentals, and on-location across Greater Vancouver and the Sea-to-Sky corridor. Vetted in person, NDA-aware, and ready for last-minute and overnight bookings.
At a glance
- Who
- Production families, visiting actors, crew, directors, and producers bringing children to Vancouver.
- Where
- Hotels, Airbnb and furnished rentals, on-location, and the Sea-to-Sky corridor including Squamish and Whistler.
- Hours
- Daytime, overnight, splits, and back-to-back blocks. Same-day requests are common.
- Starting from
- $28/hour hotel and Airbnb rate, plus a $35 +GST booking fee. Overnights $450 for a 24-hour period.
Built for film schedules
Production work does not run on a 9-to-5. Call sheets shift, wrap times move, and a fraternal turnaround can compress bedtime down to a thin window. We build bookings against the most recent call sheet, then rebuild them when the call changes. The sitter receives the new time, the family receives the confirmation, and the booking holds.
Long days, splits, MOS, and night shoots all need a different shape of cover. We staff sitters who specifically work overnight, who can come on shift before a 5am pickup, or who can stay through a wrap that slid by ninety minutes. Continuity matters with kids; we keep the same sitter on a recurring booking whenever the schedule allows.
Distinctions between location work and stage work, between hotel-side and trailer-side care, are baked into how we assign. The right sitter for a quiet hotel-room overnight is not always the right sitter for trailer-side care during a 12-hour shoot day. Both exist on our roster and both are screened to the same standard.
Where our sitters work
- Hotels. Downtown Vancouver, Coal Harbour, Yaletown, and the Richmond YVR-area hotels host most production stays. Sitters meet the family in-room or at the lobby.
- Airbnb and furnished rentals. Long-shoot stays in Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, and West End rentals are common; sitters work the home routine the family has set up.
- On-location. Sea-to-Sky corridor including Squamish and Whistler, plus Mission, Langley, and Pitt Meadows. Travel time is billed at the hourly rate.
- Trailer-side. Care provided at the family-facing trailer or base camp, not on the active set. A trailer Nanny works to the parent's call sheet, not the production's.
Vetting and experience
Every Sunhouse sitter is screened in person, reference-checked, third-party criminal record screened, reviewed for vulnerable sector check requirements, and holds current CPR certification. Sitters carry at least three years of professional childcare experience before they take a booking under the Sunhouse name. Discretion is part of the role; sitters working with production families regularly sign studio or talent NDAs before the first shift.
Sunhouse is led by sisters Nicole and April Hughes. Nicole's background is in education, high school first, then primary, and she leads brand and growth at the agency. April worked as a Babysitter and Nanny across Vancouver for years before co-founding the agency, and she leads operations and caregiver culture. The roster they built reflects what they wanted as parents and as caregivers: people who treat childcare as a profession.
What it costs
- Hotel, Airbnb, and on-location babysitting: $28/hour.
- Agency booking fee: $35 +GST per booking.
- Overnight care: $450 for a 24-hour period.
- Recurring or multi-day production bookings can be set up under a coordinator account; quoted directly.
For full pricing across babysitting and Nanny Placements, see babysitting rates and what's included or read about longer-term Nanny Placement for productions in Vancouver multiple months.
Trusted by industry families
Families working in film trust Sunhouse.
★★★★★
"Our experience with Sunhouse feels more like a personal relationship, uniquely fit to us. That is a far cry from other nanny services which feel more like click and collect."
★★★★★
"As somebody who works in film and television, I can honestly say Sunhouse has been an incredible resource for our family. Reliable, qualified childcare is priceless. Highly recommend to all my industry peeps!"
Frequently asked questions
Do Sunhouse sitters work on film sets in Vancouver?
Yes. Sunhouse places experienced Babysitters on-call for film, television, and commercial production families in Greater Vancouver. Sitters work in trailers, base-camp areas, hotels, and Airbnb rentals. We do not place sitters in active set environments where production insurance would be required; care happens in the family-facing spaces.
Can a sitter come to a hotel or short-term rental?
Yes. Hotel and Airbnb babysitting is the most common booking from production families. The rate is $28/hour with a $35 +GST agency booking fee. Overnight care is $450 for a 24-hour period. Sitters can meet the family in-room or at a hotel kids club, parkade, or lobby on arrival.
How do you handle 14-hour call sheets and fraternal turnarounds?
Production schedules shift daily. We confirm sitters against the most recent call sheet and rebuild the booking when call times move. For long days, splits, or night shoots, we line up sitters who specifically work overnight or back-to-back blocks so the family does not lose continuity if a wrap time slides.
Do sitters travel to locations outside Vancouver?
Yes. Sunhouse sitters travel within the Sea-to-Sky corridor including Squamish and Whistler, and to common production locations in Mission, Langley, and Pitt Meadows. Travel time is billed at the standard hourly rate; mileage is reimbursed at the CRA rate when the location is outside Greater Vancouver.
Will Sunhouse sitters sign an NDA?
Yes. Sitters working with production families regularly sign non-disclosure agreements provided by the studio, production company, or talent representation. We forward the NDA to the assigned sitter before the first shift and confirm signature back to the production coordinator or family.
What does on-set or hotel care cost?
Hotel, Airbnb, and on-location babysitting is $28/hour, with a one-time $35 +GST booking fee per booking. Overnight care is $450 for a 24-hour period. Multi-day or weekly bookings are quoted directly. Production memberships are available for crews booking repeatedly across a shoot.
Can a production coordinator or assistant book on behalf of crew?
Yes. Coordinators, line producers, talent assistants, and travel teams can book on behalf of a parent. We invoice the booking party directly and route confirmations to both the parent and the coordinator. Repeat productions can set up a single account that covers multiple crew families.
How quickly can a last-minute booking be filled?
Same-day requests are common. Most hotel and Airbnb bookings are confirmed within a few hours of the request when the date, location, and child ages are sent through. For overnight or multi-day care, 24 to 48 hours of lead time gives us the best match.
Are sitters comfortable with US-based families travelling for production?
Yes. Many of our production bookings come from US-based families on extended Vancouver shoots. Sitters are briefed on the family routine in writing before the first shift, and we keep the same sitter on a recurring booking whenever the schedule allows.
Do you offer overnight care for night shoots and splits?
Yes. Overnight care is $450 for a 24-hour period. For split or night-shoot schedules where a parent leaves before bedtime and returns mid-morning, the overnight rate applies. We assign sitters who specifically work overnight blocks.
For more general questions, see our general FAQs.
Talk to us about a production
Send us the dates, location, number of children, and any timing constraints. Coordinators booking on behalf of crew can use the same form; we invoice the booking party directly.