The problem is widespread and getting worse, according to Rosemary Murphy, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, who fears some nurseries could face closure because they can't afford to compete with Sure Start wages.
She said: "I'm getting letters and emails about this from all over the country."
Although there is no firm evidence Sure Start programmes are actively recruiting from existing establishments, Tracey Storey, operations and human resources director at the Leapfrog Day Nurseries group, said one Leapfrog nursery in Bristol had lost its entire senior team to a Sure Start centre.
She called on Sure Start to adopt a more "responsible" attitude to staff recruitment. "Sure Start should have a policy where they do not take all the qualified staff from any one setting."
Linda Mills, who manages The Laurels Day Nursery in Barnsley, has lost two members of staff and said other nurseries in the area were suffering.
She said: "You get the very young nursery nurses coming in but nobody wants to see 17- or 18-year-olds in nurseries, they want to see experienced, qualified staff."
A DfES spokesman said the department was aware of the problem and was trying to address it by improving pay and training across the sector.
