Director Bridget Nodder is asking the Northern Ireland Executive to invest £900,000 over the next three years to help address the problem.
The package of funding would, Nodder said, help tackle two problems: the fact potential childminders are put off by the registration process and the cost of starting up their businesses.
"The problem really is a simple and stark one," she said. "Too few individuals are starting up careers as childminders and too many drop out within the first year of registration."
She added that the shortage of childminders had a particularly dramatic impact in rural areas, where they are often the only viable childcare option for very young children.
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