>

When I moved here to Texas I did all the research and wrote up a full pro-forma on running an in home daycare so my wife could stay home. The math simply makes no sense without either paying slave labor wages ($12/h is average here for childcare workers) or charging ridiculous prices. Subsidy really is the only viable answer because I won't pay people garbage to work for me so we scrapped the idea. When Texas completely runs out of child care maybe they will change their tune.
My uncle is super pissed off that my cousin's wife is staying home and not working.  Childcare is so expensive she doesn't think it is worthwhile.  She was making 12 an hour, and childcare was eating around 700 a month, after taxes she was spending half of her time working just to pay for childcare.    My cousin was vocally against it until he figured out that with her clipping coupons, not driving, not eating lunch out every day etc., they actually have nearly the same spending money.  
Pay is too low and everything costs too much. >

I’m amazed she can find childcare for $700. I’m paying close to 2,000, and we were on like five waiting lists when I was 12 weeks pregnant to even get a spot by the time he was 4 months old. >

Worked in childcare for 5+ years, I'm convinced the entire industry is on the verge of collapse any time now. We were dangerously low on staff, much less staff you want to trust your children with like 4 years ago and we were bleeding staff including myself. Then COVID hit, some other things and I'm amazed any childcare is even available anymore.