Ministers consider support for childcare

Education ministers will consider the plight of childcare centres faced with falling numbers of children and the prospect of closure as families heed the message to keep socially distant and slow the spread of coronavirus.

Federal minister Dan Tehan says he is aware of the challenges the sector is facing from reduced attendance and is working with it to minimise the impact.

The ministerial council will look at ways to cut red tape in the sector when it meets on Friday.

"We continue to assess the issues facing the sector and we will continue to work with them to manage the impact of the coronavirus," Mr Tehan said.

He has already increased to 62 the number of days a child can be absent from care before fee subsidies cut out.

The government has also promised any centre forced to close will continue to receive the subsidies for the children they normally care for.

The Greens have suggested wage guarantees for early learning staff throughout the pandemic, whether they are required at work or not.

They also suggested scrapping the activity test on parents to access fee subsidies, and ensuring essential services workers have access to care when they need it.

"As funders of the sector, the federal government now must urgently intervene to save early childhood education from a complete disaster," senator Mehreen Faruqi said.

"When this pandemic is over and families go back to work, we will need a ready-to-go workforce of carers and early childhood educators. Without guaranteeing the wages of those already in the sector, we cannot assume this will happen."