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The differences between baby sitters and child care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a baby sitter and a child care worker. Additionally, a child care worker has an average salary of $31,284, which is higher than the $30,972 average annual salary of a baby sitter.
The top three skills for a baby sitter include child care, kids and nutritious meals. The most important skills for a child care worker are child care, crisis intervention, and behavioral issues.
| Baby Sitter | Child Care Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $30,972 | $31,284 |
| Hourly rate | $14.89 | $15.04 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 19,382 | 136,963 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Baby Sitter is responsible for the welfare and safety of children while their parents or guardian are away. The tasks will vary on the age, behavior, or needs of the children. However, most of the time, a Baby Sitter must supervise the children's activities in a friendly and fun manner, prepare meals, assist in bathing or dressing, and get them to bed. There are also instances when the Baby Sitter must do some light chores, such as cleaning up after the kids or washing the dishes.
A child care worker is responsible for providing care and supervision to children while the parents or guardians are away. A child care worker's duty may involve changing diapers and preparing milk for infants and toddlers, devise strategies or fun activities where children can learn, arrange schedules to fit their needs such as nap times, and prepare healthy meals and snacks. Aside from ensuring children's safety, a child care worker must also monitor any sign of emotional or developmental issues so it can be brought to the parents' attention as soon as possible.
Baby sitters and child care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Baby Sitter | Child Care Worker | |
| Average salary | $30,972 | $31,284 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $44,000 | Between $19,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Worcester, MA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | CARE | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a baby sitter and a child care worker in terms of educational background:
| Baby Sitter | Child Care Worker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Virginia | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between baby sitters' and child care workers' demographics:
| Baby Sitter | Child Care Worker | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.2% Female, 85.8% | Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |