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The differences between early childhood specialists and infant and toddler teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an early childhood specialist and an infant and toddler teacher. Additionally, an early childhood specialist has an average salary of $35,575, which is higher than the $29,606 average annual salary of an infant and toddler teacher.
The top three skills for an early childhood specialist include professional development, technical assistance and staff development. The most important skills for an infant and toddler teacher are CPR, child care, and child development.
| Early Childhood Specialist | Infant And Toddler Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $35,575 | $29,606 |
| Hourly rate | $17.10 | $14.23 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 33,451 | 63,094 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An early childhood specialist is responsible for managing the activities of young learners, monitoring their learning development, and designing engaging activities to observe their personal and social behaviors. Early childhood specialists assist the parents and the teachers of a child with administering programs that would expose their skills and their ability to solve basic problem-solving tasks. They coordinate with the parents to provide them progress updates and adjust learning strategies as needed depending on the child's performance.
An infant and toddler teacher is an individual who aids in the cognitive and social development of preschool children by teaching them the most basic skills that focus on play-centered learning and creativity. Infant and toddler teachers must help children develop positive self-images and encourage them to explore their interests and develop social skills. They must plan and carry out a curriculum that teaches children basic skills such as color, shape, and letter recognition. Infant and toddler teachers must also meet the children's parents to discuss concerns.
Early childhood specialists and infant and toddler teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Early Childhood Specialist | Infant And Toddler Teacher | |
| Average salary | $35,575 | $29,606 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $50,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Harrison, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Edmonds Community College, Lynnwood | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between an early childhood specialist and an infant and toddler teacher in terms of educational background:
| Early Childhood Specialist | Infant And Toddler Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Early Childhood Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | San Diego State University |
Here are the differences between early childhood specialists' and infant and toddler teachers' demographics:
| Early Childhood Specialist | Infant And Toddler Teacher | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.8% Female, 87.2% | Male, 4.7% Female, 95.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |