The federal government should make extra money available to directly fund childcare services and increase wages for staff, the Australian Greens said today.

"The Greens want these reforms to proceed because they represent some of the best ways to improve educating our youngest Australians," Greens' spokesperson for Early Childhood Education and Care, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said.

"The federal government also ought to listen and act on the childcare union's comments on direct funding, extra spending and higher wages.

"These steps would help stop highly qualified staff from leaving their essential roles, and also maintain the high quality and affordable care provided for parents.

"A third way of proving high quality care, and preventing centres from hiking their fees upfront, is for a government-backed permanent capital grants fund which centres can access.

"This money would be available for centres to expand their facilities to cope with long waiting lists prevalent across much of Australia, and not pass those costs on to parents.

"Parents say time and again they need flexible options for their childcare. Our three suggestions would make inroads into providing what busy parents need, and we again call on the government to consider them."