We experience December in two very different ways in the Shukla household. The first three weeks of the month fly by, in a whirl of nativity plays, Christmas tree buying and decoration, presents, work Christmas parties, and racing to complete work due for calendar year end deadlines. My resolution to be better prepared each year for the December rush never quite succeeds.

And then, and then...the work and school timetable come to an end. Time moves at a slower (more natural?) rhythm; and we focus much more on having relaxed, high-quality time with family and then after Christmas with friends. If the Christmas period is about anything, it is about reclaiming time and then choosing how to spend it, rather than having a lot of those choices made for us....

The end of the year is also the natural point to reflect back over the year as a whole. And for Family and Childcare Trust, it has been a very momentous year. 

Our Childcare Costs survey showed that the average family childcare bill was more than the average mortgage, putting incredible financial pressures upon families. We conducted a major review of childcare in the last 10 years (to mark the end of the 10 year Childcare Strategy period since 2004), and found that while there were many more childcare places and cross-party political commitment to childcare in the last decade, major systemic challenges remain in relation to structure, funding streams and quality. As a key next step, we are calling for a childcare funding review from first principles to simplify this chaotic childcare system. 

We published our annual Family Report Card, showing just how family-friendly parents think the UK is (and at C+, it's better than a couple of years ago, but we do have a long way to go). And we also launched our Family Friendly programme for employers at a reception in Downing Street, hosted by the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

Perhaps the piece of work which has fired me up the most this year has the the cross-parliamentary enquiry into childcare for disabled children. I was expecting to uncover gaps in the system, but to see the nightmarish maze which we require families to navigate - not being able to take up the free entitlement even though this is a legal right for families; or when they can find childcare, having to pay much more than families without disabled children to take up the service. Rectifying this situation is a key priority for all of us working in childcare, and will continue to be a key campaigning priority for Family and Childcare Trust.

And finally, after almost six years, this will be my last Christmas at Family and Childcare Trust. Early in 2015, I will be leaving to take up a role as Chief Executive of Brightside, a youth education and mentoring charity. I have loved my time at Family and Childcare Trust, which very helpfully overlapped with my three children going into and benefitting from high-quality childcare! 

If we get this right, then the benefits are widespread. High-quality childcare supports child development; it helps mothers back into work and it enables families to be financially self-sufficient. Across the world, countries are racing to invest in their childcare systems because of these benefits. And I look forward to seeing a universal system of childcare established and supporting families throughout the UK in the next few years.

Anand Shukla
Chief Executive