Early Years is the largest organisation in Northern Ireland working with and for young children. We are a non-profit making organisation and have been working since 1965 to promote high quality childcare for children aged 0 - 18 and their families. Early Years is a membership-based organisation, a registered charity, a company limited by guarantee and is governed by a Board of Directors.
Currently Early Years provides information and training for parents, childcare providers, employers and local authorities.
Membership
This entitles you to advice and support, access to lobbying and a chance to influence policy, regular copies of our magazine, membership rates for training, conferences and seminars, publications and videos. As a member you will also receive access to a discounted insurance scheme.
Training
For parents, all adults working with young children in pre-school settings, Sure Start, nursery and foundation stage and management committees. All of our training helps develop the confidence and competence of the participants in the understanding of play and the needs of young children.
Support and advice
We have a team of specialists and development workers who work with groups to help them develop the quality of the work they do with children and ensure that the children are learning through play in the first years of their life.
Accreditation
We have a voluntary accreditation process for groups to assist them in working towards high quality in their settings. A set of quality benchmark standards, based on international best practice, have been devised and groups work with their advisor to meet these benchmarks.
