Their uncle Gavin Bowler attended the same kinder during its early years almost four decades ago.

They are one of many families using the preschool for a second generation of youngsters, including one of the current class of three-year-old kinder whose mum was also a Delacombe Kinder graduate.

Delacombe Community Kindergarten is this year celebrating its 40^th anniversary and earlier this month held a family day inviting all families whose children have attended the centre to come back, reminisce, and have fun.

"There's that sense of community that people just come back and are bringing their children and grandchildren," said kindergarten director Kim Jarvis.

The day also marked the official opening of the kinder's new playground and a marked change for the centre from its original beginnings.

The kinder was officially opened on September 22, 1979 by Cr Alan Arnold of the Grenville Shire, and the first little feet ran through the doors at the start of 1980.

For more than 30 years the building was also home to a Maternal and Child Health Centre and run by council.

In 2005 the Eureka Community Kinder Association took over the management and day-to-day running of the kinder and in 2013 it underwent its biggest transformation - replacing the MCHC with a second kinder room to cope with growing demand.

Ms Jarvis said the kinder was now almost at capacity with three four-year-old kinder groups, one three-year-old group and about 90 families using the service.

The original more basic outdoor area is almost unrecognisable today, with the newly renovated yard now having a focus on sustainability, nature and free play.

"We extended our mud pit and mud kitchen area, we now have an outdoor learning classroom, the kids love their veggie garden and lemon tree, the sandpit is much larger and we've increased some height with a big hill and slide, and a dry creek bed - it's like bush kinder within a yard," Ms Jarvis said.

With the kinder close to the rapidly expanding Winter Valley area, Ms Jarvis said demand continued to grow.

"We are a bit unique in this area in the fact we stand alone and do not function as a child care centre," she said.

"Child care centres offer four-year-old kinder programs but there's a difference in the way their day is structured. I think the beauty of our centre is that it's community based.

"Our children come to this kinder and form friendships that follow on to local schools - the bulk of our children go to Lumen Christi or Delacombe Primary so the friendships continue."

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She said the kinder years would always be vital to young children.

"Children come in and their social and emotional development is so important in that year before they head off to school, and it's an introduction to structure before they head off to mainstream schooling."

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