The Irish National Teachers' Organisation is seeking urgent clarification on aspects of the White Paper on Early Childhood Education, which was published late last year.
It said the White Paper envisaged an early education agency, but its purpose was not clear. "In particular there is a disappointing lack of clarity about the relationship of this agency to existing provision in primary schools," said Ms Catherine Byrne, INTO assistant general secretary.
She said there was a "risk of disconnecting early years education" from the rest of the education system. Research showed that children benefited from early education when the transition from pre-school to primary education was "seamless".
Ms Byrne was speaking at an INTO-St Patrick's College seminar on early learning in primary schools.
At the same event, the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Woods, said he would consult widely before any proposals in the White Paper became law.