Rallies Wednesday will be held across the state to protest Connecticut's child care crisis.

There will be a rally outside the Government Center in Stamford.

Child care centers across the state will be closed Wednesday to rally for "The Morning Without Child Care."

Last spring, parents and providers also rallied in Stamford.

They say Connecticut would grind to a halt without child care.

Parents and providers are calling on state leaders to invest in affordable child care for working families and living wages for educators.

Day cares say they have been short-staffed, with kids on waiting lists who may never get the care they need.

In a study, Care.com found parents are spending a whopping 22% of their household income on child care.

Parents say they want government support.

They have been asking Gov. Ned Lamont and the Connecticut General Assembly to invest in long-term solutions.

"If more families were able to afford child care there would be more of a work force right and there would be more money in this economy," said Stamford child care provider Naria Velazquez.

There are a dozen rallies across the state including Norwalk, Bridgeport and Stratford.