Ms Powell said that Michael Wilshaw was looking at the issue from the wrong way and wrong to single out childminders.
She said that the focus should be on improving quality in all provision across the board in partnership, rather than singling out specific groups.
In an interview earlier this month, Mr Wilshaw, who favours school-based provision, had said that poorer families should access the 15 hours at a school-based nursery, rather than using a childminder.
The event was hosted by the Sutton Trust and the Social Market Foundation think-tank.
Also on the panel were Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, Laura Barbour, early years manager, Sutton Trust, Naomi Eisenstadt, education research fellow, University of Oxford, and Emran Mian, director, SMF.
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