Direct support professional vs child care worker

The differences between direct support professionals and child care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support professional has an average salary of $32,077, which is higher than the $31,284 average annual salary of a child care worker.

The top three skills for a direct support professional include direct support, developmental disabilities and autism. The most important skills for a child care worker are child care, crisis intervention, and behavioral issues.

Direct support professional vs child care worker overview

	Direct Support Professional	Child Care Worker
Yearly salary	$32,077	$31,284
Hourly rate	$15.42	$15.04
Growth rate	36%	6%
Number of jobs	142,034	136,963
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	48	37
Years of experience	-	2

What does a direct support professional do?

Direct support professionals are responsible for taking care of patients with physical or mental limitations. They do a variety of tasks for their patients, such as doing household chores, running errands for them, cooking for them, feeding them, bathing and dressing them, and helping them with their medication, among others. They also provide their patients with companionship, accompanying their patients to appointments, providing emotional support, and being with their patients for the most part of the day. They should be familiar with their patients' prescribed medicines, meal plans, therapy schedules, and other items related to the betterment of the patients' condition. Direct support professionals help the patients overcome their challenges and assist them in acclimating themselves with their current environment.

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.

Direct support professional vs child care worker salary

Direct support professionals and child care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Support Professional	Child Care Worker
Average salary	$32,077	$31,284
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $54,000	Between $19,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	Worcester, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Meta	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between direct support professional and child care worker education

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

	Direct Support Professional	Child Care Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	California State University - Long Beach

Direct support professional vs child care worker demographics

Here are the differences between direct support professionals' and child care workers' demographics:

	Direct Support Professional	Child Care Worker
Average age	48	37
Gender ratio	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	7%	4%

Differences between direct support professional and child care worker duties and responsibilities

Direct support professional example responsibilities.

Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
Assist with toileting, including urinals.
Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.

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.

Direct support professional vs child care worker skills

Common direct support professional skills

Direct Support, 19%
Developmental Disabilities, 12%
Autism, 9%
Direct Care, 7%
DSP, 7%
Mental Health, 6%

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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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Support Professional
Direct Support Professional vs Child Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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