How many children aged under three should childminders and nursery staff be allowed to look after at the same time?
A relaxation in the number of pre-school children that nurseries and registered childminders can oversee has been announced in order to professionalise the pre-school workforce and cut the cost of childcare in England.
Our Trustees are responsible for overseeing the organisation’s development. Daycare Trust is a vibrant and fast-changing national charity and the Trustees play an important role in developing and supporting its work. They meet four-five times a year at Daycare Trust’s offices.
We aim for our Board of Trustees to be representative of childcare’s many different stakeholders.
Maggie Darling
Following a long and successful journalistic career, including as staff writer for the Glasgow Herald, Sunday Standard and Daily Record, Maggie undertook considerable charity work opening up 11 Downing Street to host events with small and medium sized charities during the time her husband was Chancellor of the Exchequer. As lead patron for Scottish charity Circle, which provides community based support to marginalised children and families, Maggie understands only too well the difference early intervention can make.
Kate Stephens
Kate is currently a Director at MHP, one of the UK's leading public affairs and PR consultancies. She has direct responsibility for MHP's marketing and external profile, which includes everything from advertising to the website, promotional materials, events, sponsorship, awards and any specific new business initiatives. MHP is also part of the Engine Group, an independent group of 12 companies with expertise across the marketing and communications spectrum
Martin Pilgrim
Martin Pilgrim worked in local government for 39 years, mainly at a senior level on policy issues in local government representative bodies. His last post was as Chief Executive of London Councils, the organisation which brings together London’s 33 borough councils. Since his retirement in 2007, Martin has undertaken a number of roles in the not-for-profit sector. He is Chair of the London Sustainability Exchange. He is the Chair of the England Council and the London Regional Council of The Prince’s Trust; he is also a member of the National Advisory Board and was a Trustee (2009-2010) of The Trust. He is Treasurer and a Trustee of the Family Rights Group. He has similar roles with Daycare Trust. He was a director of Film London (2005-2011).
Martin is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and has a Master’s degree in Management from the University of Kent.
Karen Mackay
Karen is currently the Head of External Affairs for Busy Bees, the largest childcare provider in the UK. She has over 30 years experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors as a former Headteacher, Ofsted Inspector, Head of Service for a local authority, Director of a national charity and national early years lead for Together for Children. Karen also founded a publishing company producing dual language fiction books for children.
Ryan Shorthouse
Ryan is a Researcher for the Social Market Foundation with expertise in social policy, including early years, education and welfare. He was previously a researcher for Rt Hon David Willetts MP, where he authored the Conservative Party's Childhood Review, and an adviser to the Shadow Minister for the Family, formulating Conservative party policy and managing media relations. Ryan is the Director of Bright Blue - a group campaigning for progressive policies from the Conservative Party - and is editor of The Progressive Conscience, Bright Blue's magazine. He was the Political Secretary of the Bow Group and writes regularly on social affairs for various national newspapers and magazines. He was educated at the University of Warwick.
Ruth Thomson
Ruth is deputy editor of Nursery World, the market-leading, weekly magazine serving the early years sector. Her main responsibility is commissioning and editing the analysis and curriculum sections of the magazine. She is also involved in Nursery World exhibitions and conferences and has edited a range of the magazine's supplements, including Nursery Management. In her 13 years at the magazine, she has built up an in-depth knowledge of Government early years policy and has a particular interest in nursery education. She was previously a finance editor.
Tracy Wilson
Tracy is Group Operations Manager for Co-operative Employee Benefits, part of The Midcounties Co-operative Society based in Warwick. She has been with the Society since March 2007, originally joining on a 9 month maternity cover contract to run the childcare vouchers part of Imagine Co-operative Childcare. During this time the business has re-branded, increased headcount from 6 people to 16, reduced debt from £1m to zero, grown sales from £20m to £33m and expanded their range of benefits from one (childcare vouchers) to a comprehensive range of 7 co-operative benefits. They have both public and private sector clients as well as a number of charities and not-for-profit organisations, varying in size from a couple of employees to a headcount exceeding 100,000.
Tracy’s background has always been in Sales and Business Development, most of her career having been spent as a Key Account Manager in the nuclear industry. At AEA Technology she was involved in negotiating major contracts with MOD, International Atomic Energy Agency, British Nuclear Fuels etc and was influential in developing Environment Agency policy on the treatment of radioactive waste.
She has also spent time working with Super Camps, who operate children’s activity camps during school holidays.
The new name for Daycare Trust and the Family and Parenting Institute.
Report reveals childcare is the luxury that families have to afford as figures show that nursery, childminder and after-school club costs are all rising at more than double the rate of inflation.
The two charities merged on 1 January 2013 and the new charity will be launched in April 2013.
A review of Daycare Trust's achievements in 2012
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