Cobden Kindergarten has welcomed back families after major renovations were completed just in time for winter.
The upgrades, which started in February, included a second playroom, new foyer and locker area, as well as a new maternal and child health centre.
Kindergarten teacher Teresa Frost said the project had brought the kindergarten building into the 21st century.
"We are really pleased to be back in our own space," Mrs Frost said.
"The new playroom is modern, warm and bright, and the new locker area is fantastic too.
"Children have generous locker spaces and it is a much nicer experience for parents."
She said the children had taken a real interest in the building process.
"We frequently visited the site as part of our daily walks and watched the slab being poured, the frame go up, the windows go in, and the painters.
"The children were really excited to see all the colours along the façade of the kinder.
"It helped us all stay connected," Mrs Frost added.
Works will now focus on the outdoor area, with more landscaping and play equipment around the sandpit and rocks.
"On our first day back, the children watched the bobcat shift the dirt and place rocks to create the new sandpit," Mrs Frost said.
"We are looking forward to watching the new playground unfold."
She said they were extremely grateful to Cobden Primary School for use of the RSL Hall while the project was underway.
"It was a great space to start the kinder year and we were really lucky to use the school playground and Apex Park as an outdoor play area."
Corangamite Shire received $689,000 from the State Government's Building Blocks program and a further $260,000 from the Federal Government to build a second playroom at the kindergarten.
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South Central Ward Councillor Jo Beard said the new space would provide more capacity for the new three-year-old kindergarten program.
"Two years of kindergarten is now an important part of families' lives and certainly, the new space is going to be a huge benefit to both the educators and children," Cr Beard said.
"I want to thank staff, families and all the contractors involved in the project. It hasn't always been easy for everyone involved, but certainly worth the wait.
"Thanks also to the State and Federal Governments for funding these important upgrades that are fabulous for our entire community," Cr Beard said.
Kindergarten enrolments for 2022 are now open to all eligible children in the two years before school (three and four year old kindergarten). Register at www.corangamite.gov.au/enrolment
