The Irish National Teachers' Organisation is seeking the introduction of a three-year infant cycle. This would mean an additional middle-infant year would be introduced between the present junior and senior-infants' years.
A delegate, Ms Miriam Mulkerrin, said the curriculum could not be implemented because of the crowded, compacted nature of the infant cycle.
It was unacceptable that parents had little option but to send their children into junior infants at the age of four, or pay about £1,000 a year to a private playschool until the child was ready, aged five, for a two-year cycle, she said.
Ms Mary O'Grady, a Dublin City South delegate, said: "A maximum [infant] class size of 15 in all schools designated disadvantaged and a maximum of 20 in all other schools is essential if we are to realistically do what we know is necessary to implement a child-centred curriculum in our infant classes."
Qualified childcare workers were needed rather the unqualified FAS personnel they had to rely on at present, said Ms O'Grady.
Ms Mary Lally, central executive committee, said 56 per cent of four-year-olds and 99 per cent of five-year-olds were in the primary sector, along with 1,500 three-year-olds in the early start programme.
"This year is the first year where we are to receive a grant specifically for infant equipment and while it is welcome at £4 per pupil, it would not buy one quality jigsaw for each child."
Calling for early-years education for all pre-school children with special needs, Ms Lally said there was a possibility that quality early-childhood interventions might prevent additional problems.
She expressed concern that there was no change recommended in the White Paper for the provision of early-childhood education for Traveller children.
The composite motion, which was carried by an overwhelming majority, calls on the Department of Education to provide early-years education for all pre-school children with special needs.
It also calls for the extension of the infant cycle to three years as well as the introduction of a maximum class-size of 20 and the appointment of qualified childcare workers to all early-years primary classrooms with single classes.