The appointment follows the departure last month of Susan Crane, who left for personal reasons after five months at the helm of the childcare charity.
Ms Walton was chief executive of Westminster Children's Society for seven years and has been a trustee of the Daycare Trust for two years. She also managed her own private nurseries.
Ms Walton said she had 'stepped in' for six months and recruitment for a new chief executive would begin after Christmas. She told Nursery World, 'The main focus for the Daycare Trust is looking at affordability and quality. Universal childcare is being added through children's centres, but there are still concerns about affordability. And there is the whole quality issue, particularly around training and the workforce.
'We will also be working with local authorities. Now that they have the statutory responsibility (for childcare) we can do a lot to help them assess the need for and quality of childcare.'
'When I think about the amazing work that childcare workers do, we need to professionalise the workforce so it has greater stature and make it more valued.'