Affordable childcare options in St. Louis (update)

I have 11 kids and I need to interview and work without a sitter. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I looked into subsidies but the forms are long. What worked for you?

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

I swapped afternoons with another parent. It took some planning and saved us both money.