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

I have 5 kids and I need to interview and work without a sitter. I am in Baltimore, in case local advice matters. A neighbour offered help but not every day. How long did subsidies take?

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.