Child care attendant vs child care teacher

The differences between child care attendants and child care teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a child care attendant has an average salary of $27,542, which is higher than the $26,036 average annual salary of a child care teacher.

The top three skills for a child care attendant include CPR, customer service and meal prep. The most important skills for a child care teacher are child care, child development, and CPR.

Child care attendant vs child care teacher overview

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Teacher
Yearly salary	$27,542	$26,036
Hourly rate	$13.24	$12.52
Growth rate	36%	4%
Number of jobs	156,197	139,010
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a child care attendant do?

Also called childcare workers, childcare attendants attend to children at private households, schools, businesses, and childcare institutions. Childcare attendants dress, bathe, feed, and oversee children. They manage and monitor children's safety in whatever way. It is part of their duties and responsibilities to organize learning activities and enforce a curriculum that allows children to explore their interests. They have to be equipped with necessary skills like decision making, communication, monitoring, being patient, and being enthusiastic.

What does a child care teacher do?

A child care teacher is responsible for educating young learners, observing their personal and social behaviors. They also prepare engaging and fun activities for the children, ensuring their safety and security. Child care teachers assist the children's daily activities and provide progress reports and updates to the children's parents for any concerns and support needed. They also maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities by adhering to the safety standards and protocols. A child care teacher must have excellent communication and organizational skills and implement learning methods that would fit the curriculum.

Child care attendant vs child care teacher salary

Child care attendants and child care teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Teacher
Average salary	$27,542	$26,036
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $43,000	Between $14,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Lifespan	Google
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between child care attendant and child care teacher education

There are a few differences between a child care attendant and a child care teacher in terms of educational background:

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Teacher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Early Childhood Education
Most common college	-	Duke University

Child care attendant vs child care teacher demographics

Here are the differences between child care attendants' and child care teachers' demographics:

	Child Care Attendant	Child Care Teacher
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 12.9% Female, 87.1%	Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 9.0% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between child care attendant and child care teacher duties and responsibilities

Child care attendant example responsibilities.

Aid and facilitate higher functioning patients reach their fullest potential while managing behavioral episodes as needed.
Attend to the basic needs of patients, including physical therapy, companionship, food preparation and personal hygiene.
Assist with ADL and transport to Dr's appointments and shopping.
Obtain and evaluate patient medication regimens, allergies, lab values and past/current medication history utilizing electronic medical records.
Assist nurses in placing catheters, emptying and changing bags.
take vitals, give medications, fill oxygen tanks, empty catheters.

Child care teacher example responsibilities.

Maintain annual CPR training certificate.
Perform simple first aid and CPR in emergencies.
Coordinate activities for and supervise Pre-K after school students.
Promote language development skills through reading and storytelling.
Facilitate student learning by implementing IEP adaptations and strategies.
Operate van safely when driving residents, adhering to reasonable cleanliness standards and notifying appropriate personnel of maintenance concerns.

Child care attendant vs child care teacher skills

Common child care attendant skills

CPR, 26%
Customer Service, 24%
Meal Prep, 15%
Vital Signs, 6%
Companionship, 5%
Front Desk, 3%

Common child care teacher skills

Child Care, 34%
Child Development, 16%
CPR, 14%
Customer Service, 13%
Kids, 7%
Classroom Environment, 4%

Child Care Attendant vs. similar jobs

Child Care Attendant related careers

Child Care Attendant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Child Care Attendant
Child Care Attendant vs Child Care Teacher

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs