Child care attendant vs personal care worker

The differences between child care attendants and personal care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a personal care worker has an average salary of $29,490, which is higher than the $27,542 average annual salary of a child care attendant.

The top three skills for a child care attendant include CPR, customer service and meal prep. The most important skills for a personal care worker are patients, home health, and good communication.

Child care attendant vs personal care worker overview

	Child Care Attendant	Personal Care Worker
Yearly salary	$27,542	$29,490
Hourly rate	$13.24	$14.18
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	156,197	129,522
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	48	48
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 personal care worker do?

A personal care worker is responsible for providing quality health care services for elders and disabled persons. Personal care workers are usually employed in a private household setting or a special healthcare institution, assisting patients with their daily activities, and monitoring their conditions. They update the patients' medical charts, administer medication from the physician's prescriptions, and manage their food intake. A personal care worker must be highly-organized, especially when attending to patients' needs, inquiries, and concerns.

Child care attendant vs personal care worker salary

Child care attendants and personal care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Care Attendant	Personal Care Worker
Average salary	$27,542	$29,490
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $43,000	Between $22,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Lynn, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Lifespan	Tyson Foods
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between child care attendant and personal care worker education

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

	Child Care Attendant	Personal Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Child care attendant vs personal care worker demographics

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

	Child Care Attendant	Personal Care Worker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 12.9% Female, 87.1%	Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between child care attendant and personal care worker 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.

Personal care worker example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Assist in transfers using a gate belt or a hoyer lift.
Use a Hoyer lift to transport patient out of bed to their wheel chair
Perform light maintance which include switching window screens and storm windows, installing and removing air conditioning units.
Care for mentally and physically disable individuals, bathing, feeding, house cleaning duties, tolieting, medicines, CPR certify
Travele to different client homes to assist with ADL's i.e., laundry, bathing, grooming, cleaning, etc.

Child care attendant vs personal care worker skills

Common child care attendant skills

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

Common personal care worker skills

Patients, 24%
Home Health, 20%
Good Communication, 13%
In-Home Care, 12%
Companionship, 5%
Patient Care, 2%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Child Care Attendant
Child Care Attendant vs Personal Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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