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Child care attendant vs sitter

The differences between child care attendants and sitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sitter has an average salary of $28,724, 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 sitter are patients, kids, and CPR.

Child care attendant vs sitter overview

Child Care AttendantSitter
Yearly salary$27,542$28,724
Hourly rate$13.24$13.81
Growth rate36%36%
Number of jobs156,19785,152
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%High School Diploma, 32%
Average age4848
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 sitter do?

A sitter is responsible for assisting medical needs under the supervision of an attending physician, registered nurses, and other health professionals. Sitters monitor the patients' daily activities and perform medical duties such as taking the patient's temperature, administering medications, monitoring food intake, helping with bathing needs, and responding to the patients' inquiries, concerns, and requests. They also keep track of medical charts to report the patients' health condition and progress to the senior staff.

Child care attendant vs sitter salary

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

Child Care AttendantSitter
Average salary$27,542$28,724
Salary rangeBetween $17,000 And $43,000Between $20,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WAFair Lawn, NJ
Highest paying stateMassachusettsMassachusetts
Best paying companyLifespanSouthcoast Health
Best paying industryEducationNon Profits

Differences between child care attendant and sitter education

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

Child Care AttendantSitter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%High School Diploma, 32%
Most common majorBusinessNursing
Most common college--

Child care attendant vs sitter demographics

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

Child Care AttendantSitter
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 12.9% Female, 87.1%Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 17.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between child care attendant and sitter 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.
  • Show more

Sitter example responsibilities.

  • Run groceries or medical errands for patients.
  • Complete light housekeeping duties, such as dishes, folding laundry, buying groceries.
  • Help out with regular ADL's as well such as bathing, ambulating, eating, dressing, and exercise.
  • Assist with ADL's; bathing needs, food prep, exercise, drive and assist with appointments, light housekeeping
  • Provide colostomy care and administer medication for pain management in accordance with current physician recommendations.
  • Help nursing with flushing of catheters with certain residents.
  • Show more

Child care attendant vs sitter skills

Common child care attendant skills
  • CPR, 26%
  • Customer Service, 24%
  • Meal Prep, 15%
  • Vital Signs, 6%
  • Companionship, 5%
  • Front Desk, 3%
Common sitter skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • Kids, 20%
  • CPR, 13%
  • Patient Safety, 6%
  • Home Health, 5%
  • PET, 5%

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