Childcare while job hunting, what worked? - 4 months and counting

I have 17 kids and I need to interview and work without a sitter. I am willing to trade favours. What worked for you?

Our county's childcare assistance took about 25 weeks to approve, but it covered most of the cost.

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.