A NEW 57 place childcare and kindergarten will be built on the grounds of Portland South Primary School, to open in 2026.

The early learning centre is among 10 others announced this week, to be the first of 50 across the state, as promised by Labor during the Victoria election last year.

Acting school principal Joanne van de Camp said that there had been discussions with the state leading up to the announcement, but the school was officially notified on Tuesday that they had been chosen.

“It will be a huge bonus because families will be able to drop their children off at one stop,” she said.

“So if you've got the childcare centre, the kinder and then school, it'll be quite helpful for families.

“We do hear that childcare is really tight in Portland, and there's some significant waitlist, so I think this will be a huge advantage for the town, and parents will be able to get back to work.”

Run by the State Government, the new centre will provide long day care and three- and four-year-old kindergarten programs.

“We won't have anything to do with (running the centre) but what we are hoping to do is having some shared activities, so we'll invite the kinder kids over for maybe PE or art classes over time, and that will also help with their transition from kinder to primary school,” Ms van de Camp said.

Planning starts next year to build in 2025, and Ms van de Camp said she has been invited to be on the reference group panel to help with the planning.

“I'll be actively asking for consultation and with families as well,” she said.

The centre will be built on the site of what is currently the Admella Hall, which the school uses for PE classes, assemblies and its canteen, along with renting it out for community use.

To make up for the loss of that building, the State Government has promised to build a new multipurpose hall on the school grounds.

“That’s a massive bonus for us,” Ms van de Camp said.

“We couldn't give away our hall without having somewhere for our students to go so we will get a multi purpose hall, which will be great for our students and also the local community.”

The new facilities will certainly be welcome at Portland South, which has grown from 50 students to nearly 150 over the past five years.

With the school sitting on large grounds, Ms van de Camp said the location chosen will have a minimal impact on their operations.

Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora said the announcement was exciting news for Portland parents.

“South Portland has many families with children so this is an excellent choice by the Allan Labor government, and it will take pressure off all childcare across Portland which is a great outcome,” she said.

“I know the school is thrilled and so will be many families able to avoid the ‘dreaded double drop off’ when childcare and primary school are located together.”

The project budget, and specifics around rooms and services will be announced later, according to the state government, while Ms van de Camp suggested that families might like to register on the Victorian School Building Authority website for project updates.