Affordable childcare options in Madison - any advice?

I have 3 kids and I need to interview and work without a sitter. I looked into subsidies but the forms are long. How long did subsidies take?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 2 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

Our county's childcare assistance took about 15 weeks to approve, but it covered most of the cost.