Whew.... everyone did a great job keeping things polite and respectful but this is clearly quite the controversial topic!
To address the ORIGINAL question, I am unable to accept subsidized families, as I am a 100% private facility. There is not any way for me to claim from the government for any type of income. I can and would accept a family that was on social assistance, and unless they told me specifically that their income was from that source, I would not actually know.
For me, this issue would not come down to how their bills are paid, and from what source, but ARE the bills being paid and do our values mesh/combine to create a good working relationship. If the fees aren't paid; no care. Bottom line. If I find out that you (or someone else) are/is paying me to watch your kid while you pick up guys at the mall or smoke/drink your face off; it's not going to work. Bottom line.
We have discussed this topic before; I am under the understanding that I am caring for your child so that you can work and provide benefit to your family. I am fine with you taking a day to run errands, go to appointments, etc. But if I become a way for you to "escape" your children on a constant basis, I will not continue to work with that type of family.
Without getting into too much detail; I believe that our social system does need a serious overhaul, but the answer is neither "Leave it alone, because it does help SOME people" nor is it "Scrap it!". It's somewhere in between. There are absolutely those out there who are circumventing the system to their own benefit. But I ABSOLUTELY agree with the poster that stated that we DO NOT live in the same economy as our grandparents, or even our parents. My husband works in the financial industry and can back this up with solid facts.
Why do most families have both parents work? Because they HAVE to! Did you know that in the 60s, a "good" income was 10k? That meant that mom stayed home, they had a car and a house, and were comfortable but not "rich". That figure doubled in the 70s to 20k, and again in the 80s. Following that trend, a "good" income should be what? Over 160k!!! The median income in Canada right now? Less than $50k. (37k, last I checked) Even allowing for some kind of slow down, we are nowhere near our former purchasing power when it comes to incomes.
Now, I do agree with Judy that our attitude toward wants vs needs has changed as well. That is a problem in itself. But many families, even without the 8 big flat screens and 2 brand new SUVs parked beside the boat and RV, would find it difficult without a dual income.