Childcare while job hunting, what worked? - what worked for you?

My hours will change when I find a job and childcare is my biggest worry. There are 6 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I looked into subsidies but the forms are long. What worked for you?

Our county's childcare assistance took about 22 weeks to approve, but it covered most of the cost.

Libraries and community centres run free activities that gave me a couple of hours.