Affordable childcare options in Madison - what worked for you?

My hours will change when I find a job and childcare is my biggest worry. I worked as a teaching assistant before this. I looked into subsidies but the forms are long. Is there an emergency option?

Our county's childcare assistance took about 23 weeks to approve, but it covered most of the cost.

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