Early Years

What Early Years does

Early Years (legally 'Early Years - the organisation for young children', formerly the Northern Ireland Pre-school Playgroup Association / NIPPA) is a Belfast-headquartered non-profit charitable organisation founded in 1965 and operating as the largest membership body in Northern Ireland serving early childhood care and education providers. The organisation represents day nurseries, playgroups, pre-school settings, crèches, childminders, and school-age childcare settings serving children aged 0-18, alongside parents, individual practitioners, and government stakeholders. Its core offering is an annual membership programme that bundles EYQA quality assurance accreditation, specialist mentoring, a salary/payroll service, a disclosures service, governance support, training, and corporate partner discounts (Danske Bank, Barclay Communications, Verity Pension, KBS Group, Lockton, O'Rourke Playscapes).

The organisation's intellectual property centres on its exclusive partnership with the HighScope Ireland Institute for curriculum implementation in Ireland, including the COR Advantage child assessment tool covering eight content areas for children birth to six, alongside facilitation of the Reggio Emilia approach in Northern Ireland. It administers government funding programmes through dedicated portals — the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) on SmartSimple UK, the £6.6 million Pathway Fund for disadvantaged children, and the PEACEPLUS ASPIRE cross-border peace-building project managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Internationally, it is a founding member of the International Network on Peace Building with Young Children (INPB) and the Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC), producing registered-copyright publications including the International Toolkit Manual for Practitioners Working with Young Children and Families in Regions Experiencing or Emerging From Conflict.

Revenue is generated through a diversified set of streams typical of a sector membership body: recurring membership subscriptions, tiered payroll services (£468.97-£993.32 per annum plus £22 per additional employee beyond 20), pay-as-you-go training courses (approximately £35 per HighScope online session), management fees on administered government programmes, publication sales, and corporate partnership revenue. The organisation operates across five regional offices (Belfast HQ, Derry/Londonderry, Enniskillen with a training academy, and Pettigo in the Republic of Ireland) plus two physical Children and Family Centres, with a workforce of 51-100 employees. Leadership is anchored by CEO Pauline Walmsley (appointed 2019, joined 1997, awarded OBE in 2026) and Chair Nemonie Fulton.

Name

Early Years

Legal name

Early Years - the organisation for young children

Website

https://early-years.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Early Years is a Belfast-based non-profit membership organisation, founded in 1965, serving early childhood care and education providers across Northern Ireland through training, accreditation, payroll, and government programme administration. It holds the exclusive HighScope Ireland Institute partnership and administers the NICSS subsidy scheme and Pathway Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child Care Services (624410), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education (BPADAKAB), Community & Nonprofit Before/After Care Programs (Early Years) (EDACAHAD)

Keywords

• Early childhood services
• Childcare provider membership
• Early years training
• Salary administration services
• Childcare subsidy administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from early childhood care and education providers, individual practitioners, and organizations. Membership provides access to support, training, accreditation schemes, and corporate partner discounts.
2. Salary Service: Payroll service for early years settings with tiered pricing based on number of employees. Provides payroll processing, SSP/SMP/student loans, online payslips, HMRC filing, and pension contributions.
3. Training and Professional Development: Revenue from accredited training courses including HighScope courses, COR Advantage training, Solihull Foundation Training, SEN support training, and governance training programs.
4. Government Programme Administration: Administration of government funding programmes including the Pathway Fund, Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS), and ASPIRE project. Early Years acts as administrator rather than primary beneficiary.
5. Publications and Resources: Sale of publications including 'From Conflict to Peace Building: The Power of Early Childhood Initiatives Lessons from Around the World' and international toolkit resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Early Years is the largest membership-based non-profit organization in Northern Ireland supporting early childhood care and education providers. Its core offerings include paid annual membership, training and continuing professional development (CPD) programmes, salary and HR administration delivered through the NICSS Online Portal, administration of government childcare schemes (Childcare Subsidy and the Northern Ireland Childcare Scheme), the HighScope curriculum with the COR Advantage child assessment system, and an online shop of sector resources and publications.

Product overview

Early Years operates a membership-based service model built around a core annual membership programme that provides early childhood care and education settings with access to quality assurance accreditation (EYQA), specialist mentoring and support, payroll and disclosures services, governance support, training and events, and funding guidance. The organisation administers government-funded programmes including the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) through an online portal and The Pathway Fund for disadvantaged children. Training offerings centre on the HighScope Ireland Institute (evidence-based curriculum and COR Advantage assessment tool) and the Reggio Learning Community. Additional services include an online shop for resources and publications, an Annual Conference, and international peacebuilding initiatives including the International Network on Peace Building with Young Children. The portfolio is delivered across multiple regional offices in Belfast, the North West, Enniskillen, and Pettigo, with two physical Children and Family Centres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Years Membership
• Training and CPD Programmes
• NICSS Salary Administration Service
• Government Childcare Scheme Administration
• HighScope Curriculum with COR Advantage Assessment

Quantifiable outcome

• NICSS subsidy cap of £203 per child per month from April 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEACEPLUS ASPIRE is a cross-border peace-building project supported by PEACEPLUS, managed by SEUPB. The project fosters peace, reconciliation and collaboration through shared education targeting early childhood development.
• Stranmillis University CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to consult with industry and establish a new professional body for Early Learning and Care workforce in Northern Ireland. Partnership for annual conference venue.
• HighScope Ireland InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership for HighScope curriculum implementation in Ireland. HighScope is a quality approach to early childhood care and education shaped by research and practice.
• ISSA - International Step by Step AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in ISSA conferences; CEO presented on transformative power of early childhood development and peace building at 2024 conference in Sofia, Bulgaria.
• International Network on Peace Building with Young Children (INPB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and hosting organization. International network focused on sharing scientific and practice-based evidence on early childhood development for sustainable peace.
• Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN-led global movement of UN agencies, NGOs, academia, practitioners and private sector. CEO serves as honorary officer. Focus on ECD for sustainable peace and social cohesion.
• Sure Start ProgrammescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with multiple Sure Start programmes across Northern Ireland: Arke, Blossom, Clogher Valley, Dungannon and Coalisland, Kilkeel, Newry, Rainbow, South Armagh, Splash, Star Sure Start.
• Danske BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partnership offering 50% discount on all transaction fees to Early Years Members using Danske Small Business or Large Business accounts.
• Barclay CommunicationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partnership offering averaging 12.5% discount across range of business mobile, landline and digital solutions.
• Verity PensionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partnership for pension provision and retirement advice services for Early Years members.
• KBS GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partnership offering 10% off webstore main stationery lines, 5% off hardware/IT supplies, and up to 20% off branded cartridges.
• O'Rourke PlayscapesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner offering bespoke playscapes. All play equipment complies with European Standards EN1176 and EN1177.
• Lockton InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEarly Years insurance provider for member groups, sharing group information with consent.
• Public Health AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on safer sleep advice campaigns and children's mental health initiatives.
• Toybox Project PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject funded by Department of Education supporting children through early years programmes until June 2023.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PACEY (Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years): Membership organisation for childminders and early years professionals across England, providing training, insurance, payroll/disclosures and sector advocacy — same operating model as Early Years for a different practitioner segment.
• National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA): UK-wide membership body for nurseries and early years providers, offering training, accreditation, quality schemes and policy advocacy — directly comparable membership/advocacy model to Early Years but operating at national rather than NI-only scale.
• Early Childhood Ireland (ECI): Republic of Ireland membership body for early years services offering training, quality support, advocacy and member services — direct peer operating the same playgroup/sessional membership model across the border.

Broad incumbents

• Coram's Field / Coram's Early Years Network: Coram operates family/early years services and broader children's sector programmes across the UK — broader scope but overlapping advocacy, training and practitioner support for the early years segment.
• Action for Children: Major UK children's charity delivering early years and family services, training and policy work — overlaps with Early Years on sector advocacy and delivery capability rather than direct competition for NI membership.
• National Children's Bureau (NCB): Large UK charity working on outcomes for children and young people, including significant early years work, policy advocacy, training and research — broader portfolio than Early Years but overlapping on sector influence and CPD.
• Barnardo's NI: Large UK children's charity with significant early years and family services in Northern Ireland — broader social welfare mission but overlapping on practitioner support and policy influence in the NI market.

Regional players

• Early Years Scotland: Scotland's national membership and training body for the early years sector — mirrors Early Years' mission and service portfolio but focused on Scottish policy, funding and providers.
• Children in Scotland / Children England: Regional membership/advocacy bodies for the children's and early years workforce — comparable in mission but operating across different UK jurisdictions rather than competing directly with NI providers.

Emerging players

• NDNA (Northern Ireland) operations / childcare policy bodies in NI: NDNA's NI engagement and parallel sector bodies compete for the same membership and training spend from NI providers, and are the most direct in-territory rival to Early Years.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earlyyearsorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/earlyyearsorg
• Xx.com/earlyyearsorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Early Years