Tyler Huntey’s mother, Christine Huntey, provided in-home daycare from the time Tyler was in preschool. She built her first Huntey’s Clubhouse childcare center in 2008.
Tyler went on to earn a business management degree from Central Michigan University and lived and worked in Detroit after college. When he came back to West Michigan, he got involved with the family business and is now its co-CEO.
“When I moved back from Detroit, we just had the Big Rapids and Morley childcare centers,” he said. Today, there are Huntey’s Clubhouses in seven communities, including Newaygo and Hesperia. They employ nearly 200 staff and care for more than 750 children.
“We’re providing a Grand Rapids level of childcare here in our rural area,” said Tyler.
Huntey’s Clubhouses are bright and inviting, with outside play areas and walls decorated with children’s artwork. They care for children from six weeks to 12 years old and offer preschool and pre-K through Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program.
As Huntey’s Clubhouse expanded into Newaygo County, they moved into a building in Hesperia near downtown and next to Hesperia Community Schools. However, the interior needed some work. Using a program-related investment from the Community Foundation, Huntey’s Clubhouse was able to more quickly make the updates needed to open their new center. Funds helped with new paint, flooring, storage, appliances, updated security, and more.
Recently, Hesperia’s Huntey’s Clubhouse achieved the highest quality rating a licensed childcare
provider can receive from the State of Michigan.
“It’s a lot of responsibility when you make a commitment to a community,” said Tyler. “We’re incredibly proud of this accomplishment and want to thank the Community Foundation for its support, which played a key role in helping our program reach this outstanding level of quality.”
