A new 66-place kindergarten will open at Napoleons Primary School next year, in what school principal Sue Izard has described as "very, very exciting news" for the community.
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There is currently no kindergarten in Napoleons, with families making a 10 to 15 minute drive to Buninyong, Mount Clear, Bonshaw or Sebastopol to drop off and pick up pre-schoolers.
It has been a challenge for some families coordinating on-time school and kindergarten drop-offs in two different places at similar times.
It will help families ... make sure their kids are at kinder and school on time so they can make the most of their learning
- principal Sue Izard
"The school community ... has certainly been keen for a kinder to be here for many years," Ms Izard said.
"It will help families ... make sure their kids are at kinder and school on time so they can make the most of their learning."
She also hoped it would attract more families to the school, which has just under 80 pupils.
"This may or may not influence where people send their kids to school but we would love to think people can see the natural progression of kinder to our school," she said.
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"I think there can be many benefits if you get a nice stable kinder group and they mostly move on to nice stable foundation group then you minimise disruption with the transition process and hopefully families, especially if they are new families to the school, they just see it as being the next logical step."
The state government will build a two-room kinder centre opening to outdoor learning and play spaces in what is a currently disused corner of the school site.
It will be one of six to open next year.
"Any family knows mornings can be the busiest time of day, that's why we're making school drop off faster and easier with more kinders on school sites right across the state," said Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Ingrid Stitt.
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