Parent aide vs activity assistant

The differences between parent aides and activity assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a parent aide and an activity assistant. Additionally, a parent aide has an average salary of $38,890, which is higher than the $29,611 average annual salary of an activity assistant.

The top three skills for a parent aide include child development, community resources and support services. The most important skills for an activity assistant are patients, home health, and rehabilitation.

Parent aide vs activity assistant overview

	Parent Aide	Activity Assistant
Yearly salary	$38,890	$29,611
Hourly rate	$18.70	$14.24
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	43,481	25,038
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

Parent aide vs activity assistant salary

Parent aides and activity assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Parent Aide	Activity Assistant
Average salary	$38,890	$29,611
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $55,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Maine
Best paying company	-	Smithsonian Institution
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between parent aide and activity assistant education

There are a few differences between a parent aide and an activity assistant in terms of educational background:

	Parent Aide	Activity Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Fullerton

Parent aide vs activity assistant demographics

Here are the differences between parent aides' and activity assistants' demographics:

	Parent Aide	Activity Assistant
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 12.9% Female, 87.1%	Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between parent aide and activity assistant duties and responsibilities

Parent aide example responsibilities.

Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
Provide information and support to transitioning foster youth during assessment, case planning or other permanency and transition-relate activities.
Provide interventions for at-risk children with emotional disabilities, including sexual/physical abuse, delay development, autism, and social impairment.

Activity assistant example responsibilities.

Prevent or manage aggressive behavior among individuals and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
Coordinate and manage group sessions, including recreational activities for senior citizens and occupational therapy with stroke patients.
Assist children with homework assignments, peer mediation, social skills and daily program activities.
Plan and execute a variety of enjoyable activities for residents and rehabilitation patients in a safe environment.
Post daily to Facebook page and also all waitress duties.
Conduct dog walks and in home pet sits with precision.

Parent aide vs activity assistant skills

Common parent aide skills

Child Development, 14%
Community Resources, 13%
Support Services, 6%
Substance Abuse, 5%
Child Safety, 5%
Home Management, 5%

Common activity assistant skills

Patients, 16%
Home Health, 9%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Senior Care, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Good Judgment, 7%