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The differences between early childhood specialists and para educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an early childhood specialist has an average salary of $35,575, which is higher than the $31,394 average annual salary of a para educator.
The top three skills for an early childhood specialist include professional development, technical assistance and staff development. The most important skills for a para educator are behavioral issues, student performance, and IEP.
| Early Childhood Specialist | Para Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $35,575 | $31,394 |
| Hourly rate | $17.10 | $15.09 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 33,451 | 56,897 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 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.
Paraeducators' primary role is to provide students with extra guidance and support outside or inside the classroom. They are also called paraprofessional educators or teaching assistants who are expected to support teachers. In small group activities, they take the lead permitting teachers to help their students in many ways. The necessary skills required include organization, intellectual curiosity, and being calm. They should also be creative, a team player, and knowledgeable. A bachelor's degree in education is also a necessity for this job.
Early childhood specialists and para educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Early Childhood Specialist | Para Educator | |
| Average salary | $35,575 | $31,394 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $50,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Harrison, NY | Belmont, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Edmonds Community College, Lynnwood | Central Valley School District |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between an early childhood specialist and a para educator in terms of educational background:
| Early Childhood Specialist | Para Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Early Childhood Education | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between early childhood specialists' and para educators' demographics:
| Early Childhood Specialist | Para Educator | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.8% Female, 87.2% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| 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, 5.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |