Construction is well advanced. School Infrastructure NSW’s own project page describes the building structure complete and the roof on, with internal services nearly finished, external cladding under way, and internal wall linings and ceiling framing progressing. The preschool sits on the grounds of Tuggerawong Public School and will have two preschool rooms, an outdoor play area, an administration area, amenities, a staff kitchen and storage.
Why on school grounds
The program deliberately builds preschools inside existing public schools, on the argument that co-location smooths the step into kindergarten: children spend their preschool year on the campus where most will start school. The Member for Wyong, David Harris, said the co-located preschool “will be an important addition to the growing local community, ensuring a seamless transition to make life easier for parents with young children”. Tuggerawong Public School principal Tracey Ellen said: “With the public preschool on school grounds, it will help smooth children’s transition to kindergarten.”
The two Coast sites
The Central Coast’s share of the program was confirmed in April 2025: preschools at Tuggerawong Public School and Umina Beach Public School. School Infrastructure NSW’s project pages put Tuggerawong’s capacity at up to 40 children a day and Umina Beach’s at up to 49, about 200 fee-free places a week between them. Statewide, the $769 million program is meant to deliver 100 new public preschools by the first day of Term 1, 2027, roughly doubling public preschool capacity in NSW. The agency says sites were “selected based on child development and socioeconomic data, projected demand for preschool, an infrastructure analysis, and valuable insights gained through local feedback”.
Capacity landing where the growth is
Tuggerawong sits on the western shore of Tuggerah Lake, on the edge of the belt where council’s population forecast puts most of the Coast’s growth to 2046: the districts around Warnervale, Wadalba and Tuggerah between them add tens of thousands of residents, many of them young families. The second site works the other end of the map, on the built-out Peninsula at Umina Beach. One preschool for the growth corridor, one for the established south.