Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between child development specialists and child care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a child development specialist, becoming a child care worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a child development specialist has an average salary of $46,186, which is higher than the $31,284 average annual salary of a child care worker.
The top three skills for a child development specialist include child development, social work and mental health. The most important skills for a child care worker are child care, crisis intervention, and behavioral issues.
| Child Development Specialist | Child Care Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $46,186 | $31,284 |
| Hourly rate | $22.20 | $15.04 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 69,495 | 136,963 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Child development specialists are psychology experts who work with children suffering from various developmental and psychological disorders. These specialists must ensure that children with developmental and psychological disorders receive the care they need to overcome their difficult obstacles. They are required to socialize with these children while evaluating their ability to regulate emotions and identifying their needs for communication. Child development specialists must also create therapy and counseling programs to help children overcome their developmental obstacles.
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 development specialists and child care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Development Specialist | Child Care Worker | |
| Average salary | $46,186 | $31,284 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $66,000 | Between $19,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Manalapan, NJ | Worcester, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a child development specialist and a child care worker in terms of educational background:
| Child Development Specialist | Child Care Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between child development specialists' and child care workers' demographics:
| Child Development Specialist | Child Care Worker | |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6% | Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 5.9% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 12% | 4% |