A pay boost for early childhood educators will help to pave the way for lifting the profession's status, an education expert says.
Childcare and out-of-school-hours workers are in line for a 15 per cent pay rise over the next two years.
The wage bump is part of a $3.6 billion government attempt to bolster the sector and retain teachers in the profession.
It will go a long way to increasing retention rates in the industry, as well as convincing people it was viable to be a part of, Gonski Institute for Education director Kim Beswick said.
"There's so much talk about improving standards and teacher quality and all of these things ... that it implies something is wrong, when actually our workforce is at a very high standard," she told ABC Radio on Friday.
"That's part of the issue with the status of teaching: pay. Pay and conditions say a lot about status.
"We have to acknowledge that we've got excellent teachers in Australia and let them exercise their professionalism and get on with their job."
Workers in the industry will get an extra $155 a week from the end of 2025 under the changes, but only if childcare centres cap fee increases for parents at 4.4 per cent.
Teachers in the industry were already at a high standard and the pay rise would help them stay in the industry, Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly said.
"They know about child development, they educate children, they get children ready for school, and they care for children's wellbeing and safety," she said.
"We cannot have significant reform that we want to have in this sector, moving towards a universal world-class early childhood education and care system in Australia, without fixing the workforce."
Paul Mondo, who runs an early learning centre in northwest Melbourne, says government funding is needed to prevent pay increases being passed on to families.
"I've been involved in early childhood education for over 20 years, and the last four or five years have been the most difficult ever in terms of staff recruitment," he told AAP.
In a survey of providers by the Australian Childcare Alliance, of which Mr Mondo is the secretary, six out of 10 said they had to cap the number of students they could enrol because they could not find enough staff.
"Part of solving the problem of suitable access for children and families is making sure we have the workforce there to deliver on that," he said.
"It's a really significant commitment, and we think that absolutely it is enough to change the narrative.
United Workers Union president Jo Schofield said the commitment would pay social, emotional, and educational dividends for Australia, as educators could continue to work in the sector and women could afford to return to the workforce.
