Schools have always been recognized as an integral part of the community and the challenge is to ensure this vital component of social infrastructure is delivered in such a manner that long term benefits for local children, families and the broader community are realized. The Western Metropolitan Region in Victoria has experienced rapid residential growth over the last ten years and this growth is projected to continue for the next 20 years. Something different needed to be done to achieve better outcomes for the broader community. An opportunity arose to create and implement better community connections between schools and their local communities through the co-location/integration/sharing of facilities to be provided in these new and emerging growth areas. The turning point came ten years ago when a number of small residential subdivisions were approved, but the planning process had not allowed for a school which was needed to address the population growth. The only site available was neither ideally located nor central to its natural catchment. This occurred because the Department of Early Childhood Development (DEECD) is not a formal referral authority, meaning local municipalities are not obliged to notify them when residential developments are approved. As a result, a concerted effort was and continues to be made to engage with the local councils to ensure joint planning is now a matter of course. This article discusses how to create opportunities for connecting with new and emerging communities. It presents case studies that provide a glimpse of a journey that was undertaken to create and implement community connections with partners. (Contains 1 table, 4 images, and 1 chart.)