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The differences between child development teachers and head start teachers 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 development teacher and a head start teacher. Additionally, a head start teacher has an average salary of $33,865, which is higher than the $33,367 average annual salary of a child development teacher.
The top three skills for a child development teacher include CPR, child care and professional development. The most important skills for a head start teacher are kids, math, and CPR.
| Child Development Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $33,367 | $33,865 |
| Hourly rate | $16.04 | $16.28 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 122,282 | 67,747 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Also called childcare teachers, child development teachers take responsibility for encouraging creativity in young students. Child development teachers establish a strong education through formal teaching and playtime. These teachers design and follow scheduled activities and discover appropriate teaching material. They balance their teaching between social and logical exercises. Media, drawing, outdoor or indoor games, and stories are the teaching methods they use to strengthen their children's abilities. Also, they comply with the safety regulations and teaching standards established by officials.
A head start teacher is responsible for organizing lectures and monitoring classroom operations for students with financial difficulties. Head start teachers have the same roles as regular teachers, such as preparing lesson plans, conducting assessments to test the students' knowledge, documenting their progress, and planning group activities to observe their personal and social behaviors. They also coordinate with the students' parents to share the child's difficulties and strategize methods to enhance capabilities. A head start teacher must have excellent communication skills, especially in attending to students for their needs and encouraging them to reach their maximum potentials.
Child development teachers and head start teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Development Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Average salary | $33,367 | $33,865 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $46,000 | Between $23,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Topeka Public Schools | |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a child development teacher and a head start teacher in terms of educational background:
| Child Development Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Human Development | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between child development teachers' and head start teachers' demographics:
| Child Development Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.9% Female, 91.1% | Male, 7.9% Female, 92.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |