Too much work and not enough play—that’s what Play Street Museum founder Courtney Muccio saw in her time teaching in early childhood care.


Sensing a void in the industry and drawing from her experience as a mother of four, Muccio opened her first Play Street location in 2014 in Frisco. Her second location, in Plano, opened in 2015.


She says creative play, instead of rigorous academic work, can be beneficial for children.


“[Children’s] problem solving skills and … their creativity is going to be more than likely a lot better if they were able to play and pretend,” Muccio said.


The children’s facilities offer a variety of interactive toys and games for visitors, such as construction blocks, life-size farm animals and miniature cities.


“We like to be able to have a lot of the same types of things that you might find at a world-class museum, but just on a smaller scale,” said Mike Muccio, Courtney’s husband and co-founder of Play Street Museum. He said they have drawn inspiration from museums like the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, and source some of their exhibit elements from the same museum suppliers.


For parents and guardians interested in bringing their children to Play Street, the museum is open to all children during regular operating hours throughout the week. Guardians can also host reserved parties during the weekend.


But Play Street Museum doesn’t function like a day care—guardians cannot drop off their children and leave. However, the Muccios have made efforts to make the space as accommodating as possible.


“We wanted it to feel very much like a boutique,” Mike Muccio said, “and have that kind of environments parents would enjoy going to and moms would enjoy scheduling play dates.”


The Muccios now operate three locations in the Collin County area including one in McKinney. They also opened their first franchise in Allen on June 26.


Three other franchises are in the works in Richardson, Flower Mound and Dallas, Mike Muccio said.