Early Education

What Early Education does

Early Education (legally The British Association for Early Childhood Education) is a UK charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1923 and registered in England and Wales (No. 313082) and Scotland (No. SC039472). It operates as the membership body for early years practitioners in the UK, providing professional learning, campaigning for policy change (for example, Save our Maintained Nursery Schools and opposition to the Reception Baseline Assessment), and convening a UK-wide volunteer branch network. Core beneficiaries are individual practitioners, local authorities, schools, nursery settings, and parents/carers.

The organisation's product surface is content-centric rather than technology-centric. Flagship assets include Birth to 5 Matters (non-statutory EYFS guidance, 2nd edition in 2026), Achieving Excellence in the Early Years, themed combination packs, the termly Early Education Journal, and a podcast series. Service lines are Associates-led bespoke training and consultancy for local authorities and schools, plus an events programme of CPD courses and national conferences. Delivery relies on the website storefront, a SheepCRM booking app, and Stripe/GoCardless payment rails; there is no proprietary technology platform or AI capability disclosed.

Revenue is diversified across four streams: quarterly individual membership subscriptions starting at £11.75, paid training and consultancy contracts with local authorities and schools, unit-priced publication sales (£10.50–£25, with bulk discounts for 50+ copies), and event/CPD ticketing. A 79-person core staff is supplemented by volunteer branches and a 15-plus-member Board of Trustees; grants and research income (notably the Nuffield Foundation-funded EYW4N study) add non-recurring project funding. The charity is actively operating across all four UK nations under a centenary brand and remains governed independently with no parent company.

Name

Early Education

Legal name

The British Association for Early Childhood Education

Website

https://early-education.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Early Education is a UK membership charity (founded 1923) serving early years practitioners, schools, and local authorities with CPD training, publications, conferences, and policy advocacy across the four UK nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Curriculum & Pedagogy Training (Play-Based, Emergent, Literacy/Numeracy) (EDACAIAE), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN), Early Childhood Educational Media (Songs, Stories, Interactive) (EDAGALAC), Parenting Skills & Child Development Education (EDACALAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Professional development training
• EYFS guidance publications
• Education membership organization
• Early years advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

St Albans

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Quarterly membership fees providing access to expert support, professional learning, networking, campaigns, and publications. Membership options from £11.75 per quarter.
2. Training and Consultancy Services: Expert Associates provide bespoke training and consultancy to local authorities, schools, and settings. Includes INSET days, conference keynotes, coaching, and mentoring.
3. Publications and Resources: Sale of books, guides, and resources including Birth to 5 Matters (2nd edition at £10.50), Achieving Excellence in the Early Years (£25.00), and various combination packs. Also free resources available.
4. CPD Courses and Events: Revenue from courses, conferences, and events including national and local branch events. Some events free or free for members, others at various price points.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Early Education is a UK charity and membership body for early childhood education practitioners, founded in 1923. It sells subscriptions (quarterly membership from £11.75), sells publications such as Birth to 5 Matters and Achieving Excellence in the Early Years, and delivers bespoke training, consultancy, CPD courses, conferences and events through its network of expert Associates to local authorities, schools, and nursery settings.

Product overview

Early Education operates as a membership-based charity offering a portfolio of publications, professional development services, and advocacy for early years practitioners across the UK. The core product offerings include: (1) Birth to 5 Matters – the flagship non-statutory guidance for the EYFS now in its 2nd edition; (2) Professional books and combination packs covering topics like early years pedagogy, physical development, and working with two-year-olds; (3) Bespoke training and consultancy delivered by a network of Associates; (4) CPD courses, conferences and events (online and face-to-face); (5) Membership services providing expert support, networking, and the termly Early Education Journal. The organization also campaigns for high quality early childhood education and publishes free online resources and articles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Birth to 5 Matters: non-statutory guidance for the EYFS (2nd edition) Non-statutory guidance produced by the sector for the sector, supporting practitioners' implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which sets out legal requirements for delivering education for children from birth to 5 in England.
• Achieving Excellence in the Early Years: a guide for headteachers Best-selling book bringing together contributions from leading Early Years experts to give primary school headteachers and leaders an understanding of excellent practice in nursery and reception classes.
• Combination pack: emerging learning (I Am Two + Foundations of Being + Making my own mark) Three-book combination pack covering working with two-year-olds and their families, young children's emotional, personal and social development, and children's earliest experiences as writers through play.
• Bespoke Training and Consultancy Expert team of Associates providing training and consultancy to local authorities, schools, and nursery settings. Covers INSET days through to conference keynotes, with tailored professional development at a budget to suit the commissioner.
• Online and Face-to-Face CPD Courses Continuing professional development courses in all aspects of early childhood education, including webinars and learning circles available for booking.
• Conferences and Events National and regional conferences providing opportunities to hear from well-known speakers and network with colleagues, including the Northern Ireland Conference 2026 and Wales Masterclass 2026.
• Membership Services Quarterly membership providing expert support, high-quality professional learning, networking, weekly e-bulletins, termly Journal, local and national events, and leadership briefings for early years practitioners.
• Early Education Journal Termly journal keeping members updated with sector developments; sample issues available for free viewing.

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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Research partner in EYW4N study. Led by Professor Dame Cathy Nutbrown (also President of Early Education). Contributing expertise on early years workforce policy.
• University of PlymouthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Research partner providing Co-Investigator Professor Verity Campbell-Barr for EYW4N study, focusing on England workforce policy analysis.
• University of StrathclydecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Research partner providing Co-Investigator Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop for EYW4N study, focusing on Scotland workforce policy.
• Stranmillis University College, Queen's University BelfastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Research partner providing Co-Investigator Dr Glenda Walsh for EYW4N study, focusing on Northern Ireland workforce policy.
• University of Wales Trinity Saint DavidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Research partner providing Co-Investigator Dr Glenda Tinney for EYW4N study, focusing on Wales workforce policy.
• Inspiring the Future (Education and Employers charity)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to encourage early years professionals to share career stories with young people, promoting the sector as a career path. Volunteers connect with schools through online platform for career chats, CV support, and mock interviews.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Early Years Alliance: One of the UK's largest early years membership charities, running nurseries, training providers (Early Years Training), and policy advocacy — overlapping with Early Education on training, publications, and EYFS implementation support.
• PACEY (Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years): UK membership organisation for childminders and early years practitioners, providing CPD, training, resources and policy advocacy — competing for the same individual practitioner membership and parent-facing content market as Early Education.
• National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA): UK membership body for nurseries and early years providers, offering similar training, publications, policy advocacy and quality improvement services directly competing with Early Education for the same local authority and practitioner customer base.
• Family and Childcare Trust: UK charity focused on early years and childcare policy, research (annual Childcare Survey), and family-facing guidance — competes with Early Education's research output, policy advocacy, and parent resources.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children UK: Major UK children's charity with early childhood education programmes, policy advocacy, and teacher resources — a much larger organisation that overlaps with Early Education's campaigns and resources for disadvantaged children.
• National Children's Bureau (NCB): Larger UK charity covering the full 0-25 age range with policy, research and training programmes — overlapping with Early Education on early childhood policy and CPD but operating at a broader scale and scope.
• Tops Day Nurseries: Large UK nursery operator that also offers training programmes and apprenticeship pathways for early years practitioners — overlaps with Early Education on workforce training and quality improvement but from a commercial operator perspective.

Others

• Nuffield Foundation: Independent funder of the EYW4N study Early Education is leading; not a direct competitor but a strategic partner whose priorities shape the early years research and policy landscape in which Early Education operates.

Emerging players

• Montessori St Nicholas (Montessori Centre International): UK charity delivering Montessori-specific early years training, qualifications and publications — a niche alternative for practitioners seeking curriculum-aligned CPD that competes with Early Education's pedagogy training.
• Pen Green Research, Development and Training Base: Specialist early years research and training centre attached to Pen Green Nursery, providing CPD courses and research publications that overlap with Early Education's training and thought leadership offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/earlyed_uk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/EarlyEducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/EarlyEducation.uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/early-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/earlyed_uk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Education