Affordable childcare options in Chicago - what worked for you?

I have 6 kids and I need to interview and work without a sitter. This is my first time dealing with any of this. A neighbour offered help but not every day. How long did subsidies take?

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It saved me later.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 4 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.