Activities counselor vs children's counselor

The differences between activities counselors and children's counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an activities counselor and a children's counselor. Additionally, a children's counselor has an average salary of $38,024, which is higher than the $31,084 average annual salary of an activities counselor.

The top three skills for an activities counselor include CPR, youth ages and direct supervision. The most important skills for a children's counselor are child care, social work, and mental health.

Activities counselor vs children's counselor overview

	Activities Counselor	Children's Counselor
Yearly salary	$31,084	$38,024
Hourly rate	$14.94	$18.28
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	31,248	39,726
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Activities counselor vs children's counselor salary

Activities counselors and children's counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Activities Counselor	Children's Counselor
Average salary	$31,084	$38,024
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $21,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	Torrance, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Lake County
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between activities counselor and children's counselor education

There are a few differences between an activities counselor and a children's counselor in terms of educational background:

	Activities Counselor	Children's Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Activities counselor vs children's counselor demographics

Here are the differences between activities counselors' and children's counselors' demographics:

	Activities Counselor	Children's Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between activities counselor and children's counselor duties and responsibilities

Activities counselor example responsibilities.

Lead groups of children and youth weekly in spiritual growth, bible study, and fellowship.
Educate campers to manage their diabetes independently bypracticing in team excercises.
Provide supervision and manage delinquent youthful offenders, in a secure residential correctional treatment facility.
Certify lifeguard, CPR, archery instructor, and adventure course team member.
Certify lifeguard, first-aid, & CPR leader who ensure safety and well-being for all campers.
Plan and run children's activities on the ship.

Children's counselor example responsibilities.

Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
Develop and attend treatment plan and IEP meetings for adolescents with mental diagnosis.
Maintain IEP goals and classroom management.
Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.

Activities counselor vs children's counselor skills

Common activities counselor skills

CPR, 26%
Youth Ages, 21%
Direct Supervision, 11%
Mental Health, 6%
Front Desk, 5%
RAN, 3%

Common children's counselor skills

Child Care, 22%
Social Work, 12%
Mental Health, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Group Therapy, 7%
Family Therapy, 4%

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Activities Counselor
Activities Counselor vs Children's Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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