The DE Pathway Fund
The Pathway Fund was introduced from 1 April 2016 and focuses on the provision of early years
education and learning services for children aged 0-4 years.
The Fund aims to improve the development of children who are at risk of educational underachievement. Through the provision of funding, we also aim to enhance the Early Years sector and make it more sustainable.
The Pathway Fund is administered under contract by Early Years – the Organisation for Young Children. The Fund provides a contribution towards the cost of delivering an Early Years project.
The application process for the funding period 2025-26 and 2026-27 has concluded and 219 projects and 659 Childminders / Approved Home Childcarers who are in receipt of an award are delivering services to children at risk of educational underachievement.
The Pathway Fund allocation in 2025-26 is £6.626m. This allocation includes funding secured from the Northern Ireland Executive for stabilisation and expansion of Early Learning and Childcare provision, enabling all eligible Pathway settings to receive an award. The Pathway Fund was expanded in 2025-26 to include a new Stream C specifically for Childminders and Approved Home Childcarers (AHCs), with funding awards from April 2025.
Key Pathway Fund Statistics
Infographics containing key Pathway Fund statistical data may be accessed via the link below: