Education and childcare minister Elizabeth Truss also confirmed a freeze on the fees that childminders pay Ofsted at £35 a year, for the fifth year in a row.
Ministers do not intend to prescribe a business model for agencies and want agencies to have the freedom to develop models that parents and childminders want locally.
However, minimum standards will be set out in legislation and the consultation wants views on specifics, such as the number of hours of continuous professional development that agencies must provide for childminders.
The consultation also asks for views on changes in the role of local authorities and follows the passing of the Children and Families Act.
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