Nursery school workers should have at least two A-levels and a minimum standard of education in English and maths, according to a report on improving pre-school education.
Professor Cathy Nutbrown's independent Review of Early Education and Childcare Qualifications sets out 19 key recommendations.
"I have seen many inspirational examples of dedicated staff providing the best environment for playing and learning. I want more young children to benefit from this," she says.
"Every child deserves excellent early education and care, and every parent should be confident that their child is getting the best.
"Early education and care needs to support babies' and young children's all-round well being and development. That is why I want the workforce to really understand child development, the importance of play, and have good English and maths skills."
The report's recommendations include:
:: Improving qualifications to make them more rigorous and demanding, with a stronger focus on child development.
:: A focus on improving the delivery of qualifications so that tutors have the support to improve their skills and maintain the current experience of the sector.
:: Asking the early years sector to lead on mentoring new staff, to support them as they enter work and make sure students learn from good practice.
:: Build on progress to encourage graduate leadership in the sector, through Early Years Professional Status, as part of the move towards more teachers in the early years.
:: That the Government should not impose a licensing system for the sector at this stage.
Children's Minister Sarah Teather, who commissioned the report, said: "This Government wants the best for our young people. It is clear that if children are to have the best start in life, then they must have excellent early education.
"The evidence that disadvantaged children particularly benefit from quality early education is compelling.
"We have already transformed free early education by offering free childcare to hundreds of two year olds across the country. I want to build on this, so that the poorest children and their families can reap the benefits from our investment around the country."
But critics have argued that imposing higher educational qualifications on job-seekers will drive up recruitment costs that will have to be passed on to parents.
Julie Windsor, a nursery manager in West London, said she had seen many local childcare centres closed because of rising costs.
"Many nurseries won't be able to afford highly trained staff," she said.
"They will want want higher salaries to reflect their educational qualifications. And there's no guarantee that they will be able to bond with the children better because they've got A-levels, is there?"
The Government says it will now take some time to consider the report's findings.
