KinderShift

Childcare staffing, from request to payroll.

Managing casual educators means constantly dealing with availability, scheduling, qualifications, communication, payroll and last-minute changes. KinderShift saves you 90% of time spent on scheduling, payroll, screening, background checks. It gives you greater confidence that qualified educators are available when you need them.

KinderShift brings the entire process into one place. It connects childcare centres with a pre-screened and verified network of hundreds of qualified ECEs.

Centres can continue working with their existing educators while using the platform to expand their pool, fill shifts faster and eliminate the administrative back-and-forth that comes with casual staffing.

Complete service overview

What KinderShift does for centres

01

The operating problem

  1. 1.1Staff absences can arise with little notice.
  2. 1.2Directors manage availability across personal lists, calls, texts, email and group chats without knowing who is available at that moment.
  3. 1.3Identity, work eligibility, ECE credentials, First Aid and CPR, background checks, employment history and references must be collected and reviewed.
  4. 1.4Document expiry dates, renewals, required training and provincial records create ongoing follow-up.
  5. 1.5Shift details, confirmations, changes, cancellations and reminders are often spread across separate communication channels.
  6. 1.6Timesheet approval, payroll, adjustments, invoices and recordkeeping continue after the shift is filled.
  7. 1.7Unfilled shifts can affect ratios, room operations, permanent staff workload and management duties.
  8. 1.8In 2024, 86.4% of Canadian child care centres reported difficulty filling vacancies. The main problems were insufficient skills (66.7%), too few applicants (62.3%) and insufficient experience (53.3%).1
  9. 1.9Canada’s Job Bank projects a strong national shortage risk for child care workers from 2024 to 2033.2
02

The service

  1. 2.1A Canadian early childhood staffing service for planned and short-notice relief shifts.
  2. 2.2One system for availability, scheduling, qualifications, communication, timesheets, payroll and administrative records.
  3. 2.3Access to pre-screened educators who meet the role’s requirements.
  4. 2.4Payroll and administrative support for completed shifts.
03

Keep the relationships you have

  1. 3.1Centres can continue using their existing substitutes and casual educators.
  2. 3.2Existing educators maintain their availability and documentation in KinderShift.
  3. 3.3One request notifies all suitable educators simultaneously.
  4. 3.4Centres can contact preferred educators first.
  5. 3.5If the centre’s pool cannot fill the shift, the request can be expanded to KinderShift’s network.
04

From request to confirmation

  1. 4.1The centre enters the location, date, hours, room, role and qualification requirements.
  2. 4.2KinderShift identifies educators based on availability, location, qualifications and centre preferences.
  3. 4.3Eligible educators receive the shift immediately and can accept or decline.
  4. 4.4The centre receives confirmation and access to the educator’s approved profile.
  5. 4.5Changes, cancellations, reminders and completed hours remain attached to the shift.
05

Records in one place

  1. 5.1Identity and authorization to work in Canada.
  2. 5.2Provincial ECE registration or certification.
  3. 5.3Vulnerable-sector or criminal-record checks.
  4. 5.4First Aid and infant/child CPR.
  5. 5.5Employment history and references.
  6. 5.6Required health, training or provincial documentation.
  7. 5.7Document expiry tracking and renewal reminders.
  8. 5.8Screening reduces repeated administrative work but does not remove the centre’s regulatory responsibilities.
06

One shift record

  1. 6.1Directors post once instead of contacting educators individually.
  2. 6.2Educators maintain their own availability and travel preferences.
  3. 6.3Centres can see whether a shift is open, accepted, changed, completed or cancelled.
  4. 6.4Educators receive confirmations, reminders and updates.
  5. 6.5Shift-related communication remains attached to the relevant placement.
07

After the shift

  1. 7.1Hours are submitted and approved against the completed shift.
  2. 7.2KinderShift handles educator payroll and required payroll administration.
  3. 7.3Centres receive consolidated invoices and shift records.
  4. 7.4Pay rates, hours, adjustments and payment status remain connected to the placement.
  5. 7.5Multiple locations can be managed under one organization account.
08

Build a familiar casual pool

  1. 8.1Centres can maintain preferred-educator lists.
  2. 8.2Educators who have worked successfully at a centre can be invited back.
  3. 8.3Centres can prevent unsuitable educators from receiving future requests.
  4. 8.4Shift history, feedback, cancellations and reliability records support future selection.
  5. 8.5Repeated placements help centres develop a familiar casual workforce.
09

Canadian context

  1. 9.1In 2024, 77.3% of Canadian child care centres had an active waitlist.1
  2. 9.2More than 250,000 new Canadian child care spaces have been announced since 2021, increasing the importance of a sufficient qualified workforce.3