Nurseries and childminders in England will face tougher inspections under proposals expected to be announced by Ofsted later.
Under the plans, childcare providers currently classed as "satisfactory" will be dubbed "requiring improvement" and undergo extra inspections.
The move replicates changes made to school inspection ratings last year.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance warned that real improvements would require better funding for childcare.
Chief Inspector of Education Sir Michael Wilshaw is to announce a consultation on the proposals in a speech to an invited audience.
'Raising expectations'Ofsted says that evidence from its inspections shows that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are not improving fast enough between inspections, particularly in poorer areas.
The latest Ofsted figures show that in 2012 the majority of England's nurseries and childminders were judged "good" (62%) or "outstanding" (12%) by inspectors - but 25% were judged "satisfactory" with 1% classed as "inadequate".
Under the proposed changes from September only "good" or better will be deemed acceptable by Ofsted.
The watchdog says the proposals "will raise expectations and tackle weaker settings".
Nurseries and pre-schools "requiring improvement" will undergo more frequent inspections and will have a maximum of four years to achieve a "good" rating.
Those which fail to do this are likely to be then judged "inadequate" and may face having their registration cancelled.
"We all know from the research that children's early years are a period of rapid development and vital for building a secure foundation for future personal and academic success," Sir Michael is expected to say.
"Parents, whatever their circumstances, want their children to access good quality childcare and get a good early education that sets them up well for statutory schooling.
"Yet too many providers are not good enough, particularly in the most deprived areas. We must be tougher on weak settings. From September 2013, nurseries and pre-schools judged less than good will need to improve rapidly."
Sir Michael added that Ofsted would encourage good or outstanding childcare providers to support weaker ones.
Ofsted's most recent report on early years providers said that despite an overall improvement, many children were not well prepared for school, particularly in poor areas.
The report, analysing inspection reports from 2011-12, said: "It is a concern that 34% of children are not working securely in communication, language and literacy by the end of the early years foundation stage.
"It is also worse in deprived areas where 41% of children are not working securely in communication, language and literacy as a whole," it adds.
Mixed reactionsSir Michael added that inspections would include a focus on qualifications held by early years staff. Earlier this year the ministers announced a series of measures designed to improve the quality of early years education and and cut costs.
These included allowing nurseries and childminders to look after more children, but only if there is a qualified graduate present.
Commenting on Ofsted's announcement, the Education and Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss said: "I want to see more teacher-led nursery classes where children are learning so that they arrive at school ready to progress."
Ministers also said it was not acceptable that childcare professionals are not required to have a GCSE grade C or above in English and maths.
Groups representing childcare providers had a mixed reaction to the plans, broadly welcoming the focus on improvement.
But Neil Leitch of the Pre-school Learning Alliance warned that the term "requires improvement" may mean little to parents: "Any setting, regardless of Ofsted rating, should always be looking to improve.
"While we welcome the aspiration of high-quality childcare, without a rethink on policy and adequate funding from government, we struggle to see how a real improvement will be made."
Purnima Tanuku, of the National Day Nurseries Association, urged the government "to make sure that there are sufficient support mechanisms in place to help weaker settings get better".
She warned that local authority cuts had reduced the amount of local improvement work and free training for staff.
Anand Shukla, of the Daycare Trust, added: "We are particularly concerned by the suggestion that Ofsted will be the sole arbiter of quality in the early years. Ofsted is ultimately a regulator with a limited remit and is not resourced to enable it to influence providers in all parts of England.
"Local authorities tend to have local intelligence and are closest to providers."
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