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The differences between child and youth program assistants and child life specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a child and youth program assistant and a child life specialist. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $30,453 average annual salary of a child and youth program assistant.
The top three skills for a child and youth program assistant include program environment, child care and program options. The most important skills for a child life specialist are patients, child development, and patient care.
| Child And Youth Program Assistant | Child Life Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $30,453 | $55,201 |
| Hourly rate | $14.64 | $26.54 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 82,047 | 90,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Child And Youth Program Assistants help create recreational activities for children and youth ranging from 6 weeks to 18 years old. They provide parents with daily verbal or written feedback about their child, youth, or program activities.
The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.
Child and youth program assistants and child life specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child And Youth Program Assistant | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average salary | $30,453 | $55,201 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $31,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | New London, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Trustmark Insurance Co | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a child and youth program assistant and a child life specialist in terms of educational background:
| Child And Youth Program Assistant | Child Life Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between child and youth program assistants' and child life specialists' demographics:
| Child And Youth Program Assistant | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 7.1% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |