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The differences between child care aides and child care counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a child care aide, becoming a child care counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a child care counselor has an average salary of $36,843, which is higher than the $29,192 average annual salary of a child care aide.
The top three skills for a child care aide include child care, CPR and behavior management. The most important skills for a child care counselor are CPR, child care, and behavioral issues.
| Child Care Aide | Child Care Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $29,192 | $36,843 |
| Hourly rate | $14.03 | $17.71 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 168,475 | 100,538 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A Child Care Aide is primarily in charge of children's care and personal needs. They typically work at schools, offices, and even in residential areas. Their responsibilities include meeting the parents to identify the extent of the children's needs, developing care plans, monitoring the children's behavior, and updating parents regularly. They also perform various tasks depending on the children's age and needs, such as changing diapers, dressing, preparing meals and snacks, feeding, and toilet assistance. Moreover, a Child Care Aide must ensure a safe and healthy environment for children.
Child care counselors monitor the progress of children who have behavioral, physical, and mental issues in between counseling appointments. These counselors create daily schedules for children that include field trips, play dates, and learning plans to ensure that children get the most out of their days. They use their critical thinking skills, organizational skills, and interpersonal skills to deal with children diagnosed with psychological issues and to coordinate with their patients' families. Most of the cases they handle are the abuse, bullying, and past traumas of children.
Child care aides and child care counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Care Aide | Child Care Counselor | |
| Average salary | $29,192 | $36,843 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $39,000 | Between $28,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mercer Island, WA | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs | Washington State University |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a child care aide and a child care counselor in terms of educational background:
| Child Care Aide | Child Care Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | SUNY at Albany |
Here are the differences between child care aides' and child care counselors' demographics:
| Child Care Aide | Child Care Counselor | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9% | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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 | 4% | 10% |