[Frondo]

On a basic level, you don't know what someone's material circumstance is when they A) decided to have kids vs B) any future time when they might need childcare. Life situations change and it's very much in society's best interest that we care for most vulnerable, like kids, no matter how rich or poor their parents are.

[toomuchtodo]

Yes, agreed when circumstances change. What about when circumstances were never going to work to begin with? That is where my curiosity lies, where people are setting themselves up to fail, never able to cover the costs they’re locking themselves into.

The NYT has a calculator where you can model if you can afford a house. I’ve never seen a similar calculator for children, anywhere.