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Playcare Spaces Are More Targeted for Younger Children But Less Restrictive Than Daycares
By Tina Traster
It’s less than 20 degrees outside and your toddler is bouncing off the walls. She’s begging you to take her to the playground. You’re counting the days until spring arrives. But things start looking up when you hear there’s a new “playcare” space called Peas Playcare in Nyack.
You ring a friend because you’re told you can have a mommy playdate at the cappuccino bar with seating, while the kiddos frolic in a warm and welcoming indoor playground. There is a parenting God out there thanks to Peas founder and owner Alyssa Previti, who recently opened the playcare space at 69 Lydecker Street, just off North Broadway in Nyack. The second-floor, 5,300 square-foot facility is a whimsical oasis-combo of playground equipment, a quiet sensory room, an events space, and the aforementioned coffee bar, which functions as a fuel-filling station for frazzled parents with $3 coffees and snacks for purchase.
Peas is having an official ribbon cutting on Sat. Dec. 20th at 10 am, which will include a day of free play and festivities.
Playcare – a newish portmanteau – is a growing concept for young children and caregivers regionally and nationally. It’s more structured than a traditional indoor play space because there is child supervision, yet not as formal or rigid as daycare. Those taking care of children can drop off their charges or spend time with the little ‘uns in the indoor playground.
Previti, a Florida native who ended up with her husband and twins in Nyack via Manhattan, envisioned the concept from scratch. She combined brief stints in tech and retail with a decade-long career in HR to create a long-simmering vision to make the world more magical for children.
“When I was 17, I worked as an afterschool counselor at the YMCA,” she said. “I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to work with kindergarteners. I loved the arts and crafts and snack time. I just loved working with kids from a very young age.”
Previti, who is 39, studied early education at the University of North Florida, having been influenced by her grandmother, who had a doctorate in early education, and who studied under Maria Montessori, and her grandfather, who was a child psychologist.
“I grew up on a 12-acre horse farm near the Gulf of Mexico,” Previti said, the mother of four-year old twins. “I was always outside with animals, exploring. I had a magical childhood.” Now, she’s endeavoring to spread the magic, albeit, in a modern, manmade setting with high ceilings and lots of natural light.
Peas offers open play, classes, up to three-hour drop-off care, party rooms, and weekend evening drop-offs for potty-trained and older children for pizza dinner and a movie or activity – giving parents a shot at date night. Parents who drop kids will receive two glasses of free Champagne at a local village restaurant.
Peas is open seven days a week from 9 am to 7 pm.
Previti, who sunk $150,000 to transform a portion of the former Athene Life Insurance building to a refuge with mellow-painted walls and spaces with a Scandinavian vibe, is counting on the growing trend for indoor play. With summers getting hotter, rains coming down harder and winter stretching before us, indoor spaces are an antidote to more unpredictable climes.
“I expect beautiful spring or fall days might be slower, but we do have patio space, and we plan to capitalize on that,” said Previti.
Since its soft opening, Peas has been attracting babies in the mornings, who come in for the soft play and ball pit and blocks, and pre-school-ages children in the afternoon, who drop in with parents or nannies for art projects and the climbing equipment and slides in the playground. To date, Previti says she has not seen kids with “screens” during visits.
Industry experts say the indoor playground industry is entering a new era in 2026. Over the past few decades, indoor play has become more prevalent, especially in malls. But Previti said she is not aware of another indoor playcare space for young children in Nyack.
The facility is set up with distinct age-appropriate zones. There’s also an infant room with a sound machine, black curtains and rocking chairs for nursing and pumping.
“Since I’ve had children, I’ve seen a lack of indoor play space,” she said. “There are creative arts workshops and daycares with long waiting lists, but nothing like this.”
When she first proposed the idea to her husband, who works in tech, she had some selling to do.
“We had a really cushy life,” she said. “We were both working remotely. We travelled around the world; the twins have as well. We knew that would change, that I’d be tied to the business. But it’s a welcome tradeoff, now that it’s built and my husband is on board.”
Previti says she’s been at Peas every day since it opened. She has one full-time assistant and seven part-time employees. Drop and Play costs $20 for three hours ($5 for an additional sibling). “Pricing is low because we want this to be a community space.”
A stronger revenue driver are birthday parties, which cost $600 for a 90-minute party in a room that can be customized for the occasion with thematic chairs. The package, which accommodates up to 16 children, includes two party attendants, pizza and juice boxes, a craft space and a three-hour open play pass after the party. Parents or caregivers must bring the cake.
Previti and her husband landed in Nyack in 2018.
“We visited a spring street fair, fell in love, and drew a map around Nyack on Zillow,” she said. “We got the second house we put in an offer for and got our house in South Nyack. When we first moved to our street, there were no young children on the block. Now there are at least 10 families with kids under the age of five. These changing demographics were part of what encouraged me to create Peas.
