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The differences between early intervention specialists and foster care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an early intervention specialist and a foster care worker. Additionally, an early intervention specialist has an average salary of $46,103, which is higher than the $46,037 average annual salary of a foster care worker.
The top three skills for an early intervention specialist include early intervention, developmental disabilities and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a foster care worker are foster care, social work, and child abuse.
| Early Intervention Specialist | Foster Care Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $46,103 | $46,037 |
| Hourly rate | $22.16 | $22.13 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 22,033 | 151,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Early intervention specialists are responsible for determining and helping youth who are manifesting deficiencies in the fundamental areas of learning. They are trained teachers who work with youngsters between birth and age four to direct developmental impediments. Also, they have an essential role in bridging children and their families with other social service workers. Their jobs include carefully evaluating the child, establishing developmental goals, creating medication plans, recommending learning activities, and keeping track of the child's progress.
A Foster Care Worker helps improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families as well as increases the family's well-being and the academic functioning of children. They counsel families about issues regarding their child's care and develop healthy living situations.
Early intervention specialists and foster care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Early Intervention Specialist | Foster Care Worker | |
| Average salary | $46,103 | $46,037 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $70,000 | Between $32,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Children's Hospital Los Angeles | Riverview Health |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Construction |
There are a few differences between an early intervention specialist and a foster care worker in terms of educational background:
| Early Intervention Specialist | Foster Care Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Boston University |
Here are the differences between early intervention specialists' and foster care workers' demographics:
| Early Intervention Specialist | Foster Care Worker | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0% | Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 10% | 10% |