[kelnos]

No one is claiming that paying that is easy for everyone, merely that taking care of someone for 9 hours a day, including meals, for $40/day is actually ridiculously cheap. I can't think of many (any?) services I could pay for that would cost a mere $4/hr for labor+materials.

[JustSomeNobody]

Shame the person earning that can’t afford their own childcare.

[giarc]

You'd actually be surprised that most at home daycare providers choose that profession. Most typically have their own child and decide to also take in a few other children to make extra money. I ran a startup in this field and worked with many dayhome providers. Some do it as their career, some do it for a few years while their children are young and they would like to stay home and be with them.