Who we are
Our story
Our journey started in 1961 with a young London mother, (1929 – 2019), who wrote to The Guardian explaining how in the absence of a state nursery place for her young daughter, she had set up a group of her own.
The response from other parents was overwhelming. Many other parents experienced similar problems and had also set up their own groups.
Within a year, Belle and other parents had rallied 150 members together and organised the first Annual General Meeting of the Pre-school Playgroups Association (as we were previously known).
In May 1963, the ÍõÖÐÍõ¿ª½±½á¹û gained official charity status and has championed the voice of the early years sector ever since.
Today, we are a national education charity and the largest early years membership organisation in England, representing the interests of 14,000 ÍõÖÐÍõ¿ª½±½á¹û members who deliver care and learning to over 800,000 families every year.
We also directly manage a range of — mainly in deprived areas.
