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The differences between educational assistants and early childhood special educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an early childhood special educator has an average salary of $36,798, which is higher than the $31,100 average annual salary of an educational assistant.
The top three skills for an educational assistant include CPR, IEP and direct supervision. The most important skills for an early childhood special educator are autism, classroom management, and CPR.
| Educational Assistant | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $31,100 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $14.95 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 49,979 | 62,487 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
An educational assistant, or often called teaching assistant, assists teachers in instruction delivery and provides learning support to students. Educational assistants may perform classroom duties such as class preparations, taking attendance, and paperwork management. They help students by reviewing materials presented by teachers through one-on-one tutoring or in small groups. They may also supervise and monitor the educational activities of children, such as playing and other primary care. Educational Assistants can work in elementary, middle, and high schools while others work in preschools and childcare centers.
Early childhood special educators are professionals who provide direct services for infants and young children that are experiencing delays in their development. These educators are required to collaborate with parents to provide a program of activities that can encourage the growth of the children's skills. By incorporating the advice of other professionals, early childhood special educators must create individual education plans that address the specific learning challenges of children. They must also identify signs of child abuse and neglect so that they can take the necessary actions to remediate the situation.
Educational assistants and early childhood special educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Educational Assistant | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Average salary | $31,100 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $47,000 | Between $23,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | Baltimore City Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Education |
There are a few differences between an educational assistant and an early childhood special educator in terms of educational background:
| Educational Assistant | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between educational assistants' and early childhood special educators' demographics:
| Educational Assistant | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.2% Female, 76.8% | Male, 7.1% Female, 92.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 8.1% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |