I agree that we shouldn't be so eager to turn our kids over. My wife stays home with our children and I can't imagine turning that responsibility to someone else. Sure it's a sacrifice financially, but the social benefits are huge, especially while the kids are small.

I worry that the reason East Germany was so "progressive" in this regard is that they were trying to flatten the social structure to simply the individual and the State. With no communities, families or churches, there's no framework on which to challenge the propaganda of the State.