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The differences between personal care workers and child caregivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a child caregiver has an average salary of $32,065, which is higher than the $29,490 average annual salary of a personal care worker.
The top three skills for a personal care worker include patients, home health and good communication. The most important skills for a child caregiver are child care, autism, and meal prep.
| Personal Care Worker | Child Caregiver | |
| Yearly salary | $29,490 | $32,065 |
| Hourly rate | $14.18 | $15.42 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 129,522 | 43,573 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 48 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A personal care worker is responsible for providing quality health care services for elders and disabled persons. Personal care workers are usually employed in a private household setting or a special healthcare institution, assisting patients with their daily activities, and monitoring their conditions. They update the patients' medical charts, administer medication from the physician's prescriptions, and manage their food intake. A personal care worker must be highly-organized, especially when attending to patients' needs, inquiries, and concerns.
Basically, a child caregiver looks after the fundamental needs of children like feeding, playtime supervision, and dressing. Child caregivers take responsibility for preparing and organizing the snacks and mealtimes for children. They organize the activities or implement a curriculum allowing children to learn about the world as well as explore their interests. It is part of their job to keep records regarding the routines, interests, and progress of the children. They may work as family childcare providers, nannies, or childcare center workers.
Personal care workers and child caregivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Care Worker | Child Caregiver | |
| Average salary | $29,490 | $32,065 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $38,000 | Between $22,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lynn, MA | Santa Clarita, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Tyson Foods | CARE |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a personal care worker and a child caregiver in terms of educational background:
| Personal Care Worker | Child Caregiver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between personal care workers' and child caregivers' demographics:
| Personal Care Worker | Child Caregiver | |
| Average age | 48 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6% | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 4% |