Prior to the last half century or so, there was never a period in human history where you, as a norm, had both parents working outside of the home. I don't think it's realistic to provide affordable childcare at scale. Why not? Because people who provide childcare need to make enough to live too, and ironically they often have their own childcare costs to pay.

I know the typical answer is, "the government should just provide it". But is that really an ideal we should aspire to? Pay $56,000 a year so someone can work a $50,000 a year service job while strangers raise their children? The whole thing seems fundamentally broken. We've structured society as if the highest and best use of everyone's time is be a W-2 wage-earner.