Detention worker vs child care counselor

The differences between detention workers and child care counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a detention worker and a child care counselor. Additionally, a child care counselor has an average salary of $36,843, which is higher than the $35,072 average annual salary of a detention worker.

The top three skills for a detention worker include crisis intervention, perform intake and incident reports. The most important skills for a child care counselor are CPR, child care, and behavioral issues.

Detention worker vs child care counselor overview

	Detention Worker	Child Care Counselor
Yearly salary	$35,072	$36,843
Hourly rate	$16.86	$17.71
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	21,863	100,538
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Detention worker vs child care counselor salary

Detention workers and child care counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Detention Worker	Child Care Counselor
Average salary	$35,072	$36,843
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $55,000	Between $28,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Washington State University
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between detention worker and child care counselor education

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

	Detention Worker	Child Care Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY at Albany

Detention worker vs child care counselor demographics

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

	Detention Worker	Child Care Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between detention worker and child care counselor duties and responsibilities

Detention worker example responsibilities.

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Recognize risk factors quickly, collaborate with interdisciplinary team, nurture positive relationships with patients through consistency and modeling healthy boundaries.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

Child care counselor example responsibilities.

Train in managing risk and restraining only when need, CPR, and first aid.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Organize and lead regular youth and college bible studies, teaching about prayer and promoting spirituality.

Detention worker vs child care counselor skills

Common detention worker skills

Crisis Intervention, 22%
Perform Intake, 13%
Incident Reports, 13%
Emergency Situations, 12%
CPR, 7%
Juvenile Programs, 5%

Common child care counselor skills

CPR, 21%
Child Care, 20%
Behavioral Issues, 11%
Crisis Intervention Techniques, 8%
Direct Supervision, 6%
Mental Health, 5%

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Detention Worker vs Child Care Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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