I think parent asked for subsidy, not total compensation of expenses. I have two kids, 2.5 years apart, and there was one year in NYC where a small family dayc

I think parent asked for subsidy, not total compensation of expenses. I have two kids, 2.5 years apart, and there was one year in NYC where a small family daycare was running us ~$5k per month in childcare. We'd been aiming for the kids to be a bit further apart, partly for financial reasons, but shrug, it didn't happen that way (first kid took a lot longer of trying than the second). We're fortunate in that we can afford that, but it did impact our long-term savings and eventual home ownership. I honestly don't know what the working poor do. I guess you're not aloud to move away from extended family.