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The differences between residential counselors and child care counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a residential counselor and a child care counselor. Additionally, a child care counselor has an average salary of $36,843, which is higher than the $34,117 average annual salary of a residential counselor.
The top three skills for a residential counselor include direct care, medication administration and mental health. The most important skills for a child care counselor are CPR, child care, and behavioral issues.
| Residential Counselor | Child Care Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $34,117 | $36,843 |
| Hourly rate | $16.40 | $17.71 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 81,287 | 100,538 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
Child care counselors monitor the progress of children who have behavioral, physical, and mental issues in between counseling appointments. These counselors create daily schedules for children that include field trips, play dates, and learning plans to ensure that children get the most out of their days. They use their critical thinking skills, organizational skills, and interpersonal skills to deal with children diagnosed with psychological issues and to coordinate with their patients' families. Most of the cases they handle are the abuse, bullying, and past traumas of children.
Residential counselors and child care counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Counselor | Child Care Counselor | |
| Average salary | $34,117 | $36,843 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $28,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Evergreens | Washington State University |
| Best paying industry | Education | Finance |
There are a few differences between a residential counselor and a child care counselor in terms of educational background:
| Residential Counselor | Child Care Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | SUNY at Albany |
Here are the differences between residential counselors' and child care counselors' demographics:
| Residential Counselor | Child Care Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 15% | 10% |