Child care sitter vs child care worker

The differences between child care sitters and child care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a child care sitter and a child care worker. Additionally, a child care sitter has an average salary of $33,416, which is higher than the $31,284 average annual salary of a child care worker.

The top three skills for a child care sitter include CPR, kids and child care. The most important skills for a child care worker are child care, crisis intervention, and behavioral issues.

Child care sitter vs child care worker overview

	Child Care Sitter	Child Care Worker
Yearly salary	$33,416	$31,284
Hourly rate	$16.07	$15.04
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	125,552	136,963
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	2	2

What does a child care sitter do?

A child care sitter is someone who takes charge of the welfare and health of children as their parents are not around. Child care sitters perform every aspect of caring for a child including hygiene, meals, and educational activities. They are responsible for disciplining children and for keeping records of their daily activities. They ensure a safe environment, meal preparation, dressing and bathing, housework, and medicine administration. Among the skills, they need to develop include confidence, patience, creativity, multitasking, and time management.

What does a child care worker do?

A child care worker is responsible for providing care and supervision to children while the parents or guardians are away. A child care worker's duty may involve changing diapers and preparing milk for infants and toddlers, devise strategies or fun activities where children can learn, arrange schedules to fit their needs such as nap times, and prepare healthy meals and snacks. Aside from ensuring children's safety, a child care worker must also monitor any sign of emotional or developmental issues so it can be brought to the parents' attention as soon as possible.

Child care sitter vs child care worker salary

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

	Child Care Sitter	Child Care Worker
Average salary	$33,416	$31,284
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $49,000	Between $19,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Worcester, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between child care sitter and child care worker education

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

	Child Care Sitter	Child Care Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	University of Virginia	California State University - Long Beach

Child care sitter vs child care worker demographics

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

	Child Care Sitter	Child Care Worker
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6%	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between child care sitter and child care worker duties and responsibilities

Child care sitter example responsibilities.

Perform first aid or CPR when require.
Help kids with homework, doing arts and crafts project together and making snacks!
Look after children while parents work out, basic first aid and cpr certify, creative and quick thinking ,
Provide group and individual behavior support and intervention as trained, including the use of TCI appropriate physical restraint as necessary.
Create math, reading, bible, and art lessons.

Child care worker example responsibilities.

Obtain certification in CPR to ensure minors would be properly resuscitate in an emergency.
Require to maintain continuing education in courses including passive restraint, standard first aid and CPR.
Complete accurate and timely documentation on kids' behavior as outlined by policy.
Create math, reading, bible, and art lessons.

Child care sitter vs child care worker skills

Common child care sitter skills

CPR, 29%
Kids, 23%
Child Care, 15%
Healthy Meals, 8%
PET, 8%
Patient Care, 7%

Common child care worker skills

Child Care, 39%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Behavioral Issues, 8%
CPR, 5%
Direct Supervision, 5%
TCI, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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