Middle Tyger Community Center has officially opened its $19 million childcare campus in Spartanburg County.
The nonprofit organization hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Middle Tyger Education Center on Aug, 14. The 42,000-square-foot childcare facility is located at 101 S. Danzler Road in Duncan. Construction of the campus began in April 2025 after years of planning.
Middle Tyger Community Center has provided child care services in Spartanburg County for 28 years. The new campus expands the nonprofit’s child care program, This Is My Child, to meet the current demand in the surrounding community.
“We have so many residents moving in, yet we don’t have adequate childcare. Most times, people can find child care, but they can’t afford it, or they can’t find it and they could afford it. So this will make a great economic impact,” said Haley Grau, executive director of Middle Tyger Community Center.
A total of 265 children ages 6 weeks through 4K will be served at the Middle Tyger Education Center, up from the organization’s current capacity of 60 children. The nonprofit also doubled its child care staff by hiring 28 additional teachers for the new campus.
The Middle Tyger Education Center provides dedicated spaces for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children. The two-story facility consists of 17 classrooms, six observation rooms, therapy rooms, a multipurpose room, indoor and outdoor play areas, training/meeting rooms and administrative offices.
Public and private partners contributed $19 million to construct the new child care campus. SEW-Eurodrive, a German-based industrial automation manufacturer, serves as the project’s lead donor. Other notable partners include:
- Greater Than Us
- The AFL Foundation
- The Mary Black Foundation
- Founders Federal Credit Union
- Spartanburg Academic Movement
- State of South Carolina
- Spartanburg County School District Five
- Contec Inc.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette spoke during the ribbon-cutting ceremony about the importance of public-private partnerships for addressing the childcare needs across South Carolina. She said the Middle Tyger Education Center will serve as a template for the rest of the state.
“As my time as lieutenant governor winds down, this is something – this is a message that I will take across the state to make sure that we can encourage more companies to step out and work with their communities and encourage more leaders in our communities to step forward and get these kinds of projects done,” Evette said.
Over the past year, Middle Tyger Community Center worked to raise an additional $6 million to cover the expenses for the new campus. This fundraising effort included helping families impacted by the ongoing pause of the SC Child Care Scholarship Program. The program was paused in December 2025 due to limited funding.
“It was a tough blow to have the South Carolina Child Care Scholarship Program end for our families with economic needs,” Grau said. “What Middle Tyger Community Center did is we’re a nonprofit childcare, so we just raised a little bit more money, and we absorbed the cost of the child care for our children on vouchers.”
The Middle Tyger Education Center will begin welcoming children on Aug. 19. The new campus will have a staggered opening through Labor Day. For more information, visit middletyger.org/mtec.
Location
Middle Tyger Education Center was built on a 13.08-acre site donated by Spartanburg District Five. The childcare campus is located across from Duncan Elementary School and James F. Brynes High School.
Quotes
“Every classroom, gathering space, counseling room and family-centered area reflects a shared belief that families deserve access to exceptional resources close to home.” – Haley Grau, executive director of Middle Tyger Community Center
“Today represents much more than the opening of a beautiful building. It represents years of planning, extraordinary partnerships, generous community investment and a shared commitment to ensuring every child and every family has the opportunity to thrive.” – Julie Henderson, chief operating officer for Middle Tyger Community Center
