Pre-school director, Julie Frend, said staff hoped to move into the building by late August or early September.

The move couldn’t come any sooner, with the pre-school's newest class – dubbed “the green room” – taking up residence in the Gunnedah Baptist Church hall three days a week for the past six months.

At the beginning of this term, Mrs Frend said the Gunnedah Baptist Childcare Association made the decision to rent the hall for a full five days to enable the pre-school to offer the full 260 places. 

“All eligible children on the waiting list have been offered a place and we are encouraging families to make enquiries for their child for next year,” she said.

The third class was created in January to help meet demand for places, with the staff and children to move into the new building when it is complete.

“More places are available for children to come to the pre-school,” childcare association chair Jayne Barker said.

“The expansion will enable us to welcome new families at the pre-school.”

The completion of the building will also see a reshuffling throughout the classes, with the school readiness children to be brought together.

Forty places will be offered for school readiness children per day – 20 in the blue room and 20 in the green room.

“At the moment, they’re scattered throughout the whole pre-school, so we’re going to consolidate,” Mrs Frend said.

“It’s just so much easier so far as teaching, and you can really be focused on that school readiness program.”

Mrs Frend said the new building was now in the final stages, with painting under way, and preparations being made for fixtures and floor coverings.

“It’s so exciting. I can hardly wait,” she said.

Local builder, Joe Perkins, began construction on the building in March, three months before the childcare association found out it had been successful with a grant application. 

The pre-school received more than $300,000 from the Department of Education’s 2016 Capital Works Grants program. It is among 28 NSW pre-schools to share in $8 million of funding.

The furnishing of the new building is being funded by the childcare association.

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