Juggling childcare costs on a tight budget has me drained

I recently went back to work full-time after being a stay-at-home parent for a few years, but the childcare expenses are way higher than I expected. My toddler’s daycare fees alone eat up nearly half of my monthly paycheck, and I’m left scrambling to cover rent, utilities, and groceries. I thought I had a handle on the budget, but it’s been a shock to realize how much these costs add up. I’ve tried cutting back on non-essentials and even looked into local subsidies, but the waiting lists for assistance programs are long and I’m not sure I qualify for much. My partner helps where they can, but their hours are irregular, so it’s tough to plan ahead financially. Has anyone else been through this and found creative ways to manage childcare costs without sacrificing quality or their sanity? Also, how do you balance saving for emergencies when most of your income just disappears on basic needs?