A Morah at a Gan doesnt make that much money and neither do any sort of child care workers. The only way to make money as a morah is either to own a fairly decent sized school or to be a public school teacher (and that needs a degree)
Everyone knows someone who was successful without a degree. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg never got a degree however if you get one the odds increase dramatically that you will make a decent living and no $10 an hour is not a decent living espicially if you want to live the frum lifestyle