Danielle Costello

Owner of Sugarplum Nannies sugarplumnannies.com

Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention. Such was the case for Danielle Costello, a Duxbury resident who spent 25 years working in the biotech industry before having children and subsequently establishing Sugarplum Nannies, a boutique childcare placement agency.

Back in the spring of 2020, Costello found herself quarantining at home with two small babies and realized that she wouldn’t be going back to her old job anytime soon. Inspired by her firsthand knowledge of the many challenges of juggling career and family responsibilities, she set out to create a business that would take the guesswork out of securing dependable home-based childcare. Costello launched Sugarplum Nannies in the fall of 2020 and specializes in connecting qualified nannies with loving families on the South Shore and beyond.

Every parent’s journey is a balancing act and Costello understands that it can take a village to raise a child. “At some point people went from saying ‘women can do it all,’ to ‘women should do it all,” says Costello, who notes how especially stressful the past couple of years have been for parents working from home during the pandemic. “The nanny market is comparable to the housing market right now,” says Costello. “There is great demand and it’s hard to find great nanny talent.”

Sugarplum Nannies screens each nanny candidate to ensure they are a good fit. “First and foremost, I’m a mom of young children so I understand the questions and concerns our clients have,” says Costello. “I only work with nannies who I would trust with my own son and daughter.”

Costello has had an incredibly positive response from the South Shore community and credits her success to her business acumen, relatability and caring approach. “A lot of nanny services out there are super big so everything is automated and works off an algorithm,” says Costello. “We offer a more personal touch.” Always putting her heart and soul into her work, Costello gets to know each family personally. “I love it when we’re able to make the perfect match.”