In my broader circles, there is a massive divide in this between people with school-age children and people without, which shouldn't be a surprise I suppose.

Work from home has given me opportunities that were previously unavailable because companies did not want remote employees (it was not in the culture). I can now pick up some part time contract work at these places to help save $$.

IMO WFH is a lot easier on smaller teams/org's, where you have deep expertise. It is not a pancea, but it certainly is better then no WFH.

Yup. Publicly employers are stating how important children are and that they're fully understanding. No doubt in the board room it's a bit more like "stupid children distracting our employees. This needs fixing"

Those can both be simultaneously true. Employers can be supportive while still trying to regain lost productivity.

What's optimal for a 9 year old schoolchild isn't necessarily optimal for a 30 year old professional.

College from home has been a spectacular failure as well

Because college in the United States, at least, is more about networking and moving out of your parents' home than actually attending classes.