Childcare while job hunting, what worked? (Birmingham)

The daycare near me wants more than I can pay. I am willing to trade favours. What worked for you?

Our county's childcare assistance took about 8 weeks to approve, but it covered most of the cost.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 5 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.