Staff Training & Professional Development
Professional Development Your Staff Will Actually Enjoy
Interactive staff trainings that build stronger classrooms, connected teams, and renewed enthusiasm for teaching.
Bring your staff together through laughter, movement, creativity, and meaningful connection with Play-Ground Theatre.
Husband-and-wife team Mia Sole and Jeff Haycock bring 38 years of experience performing, teaching, creating, and training together using the power of theatre and play.
Our highly interactive professional development experiences are designed especially for educators who spend their days working with children.
No sitting through another lecture.
Your staff participates, laughs, learns, connects, and leaves with renewed energy and practical ideas they can use immediately.
38 Years of Theatre • Teaching • Laughter • Play
Explore Our Trainings Check Availability
What Directors Are Saying
"Play-Ground Theatre was one of the best trainings we have had! I heard rave reviews from my staff and can't wait for them to come back. By far the best training ever! I would highly recommend anything they offer!"
— Shannon Hall, Early Learning Center Director
Why Choose Play-Ground Theatre?
Professional development should do more than deliver information. It should inspire the people receiving it.
Play-Ground Theatre trainings combine the joy and energy of theatrical play with practical, classroom-tested strategies designed to support both the children in your program and the educators who teach them.
Staff don't simply hear about the techniques. They experience them.
Through theatre games, movement, music, storytelling, imagination, and collaborative play, educators discover new ways to engage children while reconnecting with their own creativity and with one another.
Whether your goal is to strengthen classroom engagement, build a more connected team, boost staff morale, celebrate your educators, or give hardworking staff an unforgettable professional development experience, we'll help you choose the right training for your organization.
Play-Ground Theatre Trainings Are:
- Highly interactive and hands-on
- Positive, inclusive, and energizing
- Immediately applicable to real classrooms
- Designed to strengthen engagement, communication, and connection
- Adaptable for different ages, programs, and organizational goals
- No theatre experience required
Perfect for preschools, childcare centers, early learning programs, elementary schools, after-school programs, franchise groups, and multi-location organizations.
Staff leave laughing, learning, connected, and ready to bring renewed creativity into their classrooms.
Which Training Is Right for Your Team?
🎭 Want practical tools for classroom engagement?
Choose Theatrical Tactics for the Classroom
Our signature training for educators who want practical theatre-based strategies for engagement, creativity, SEL, communication, and positive classroom energy.
🤝 Want to reconnect your team and lift staff morale?
Choose Re-Energize Your Team
A joyful team-building experience designed to strengthen relationships, renew energy, and bring your staff together through laughter and play.
🌟 Want your educators to feel recognized and appreciated?
Choose Honor & Appreciation
A meaningful staff appreciation experience that helps educators feel seen, valued, and connected.
📚 Want to transform children's story time?
Choose The Art of Engaging Storytelling
Specialized professional development for children's librarians and storytellers who want to bring more participation, imagination, and theatrical energy to story time.
Not sure which training is right for your organization?
Tell us about your staff and your goals. We'll help you choose—or customize an experience specifically for your team.
Check Availability & Training Options
⭐ Most Popular with Preschools & Early Learning Programs
🎭 Theatrical Tactics for the Classroom
Our Signature Interactive Training for Early Childhood Educators
90-Minute Interactive Staff Training
Turn everyday classroom moments into opportunities for creativity, connection, and joyful learning.
Theatrical Tactics for the Classroom gives educators practical theatre-based tools they can immediately use to engage children, redirect energy, encourage cooperation, strengthen communication, and support social-emotional development.
This is not a lecture. Mia and Jeff get your staff on their feet and actively participating in the same games, exercises, and techniques they'll be able to bring back to their classrooms.
Your Staff Will Learn How To:
- Capture children's attention through imaginative play
- Ignite creativity within everyday classroom routines
- Channel high energy in positive, productive ways
- Encourage cooperation and inclusive participation
- Strengthen communication and expressive language
- Use character exploration to support empathy and SEL
- Bring stories to life through interactive storytelling
- Incorporate movement to improve focus and engagement
- Build children's confidence and self-expression
There are no complicated materials and no theatre background is required. Teachers learn the techniques the same way children do—by playing, moving, imagining, laughing, and participating together.
Best of all, educators leave with practical strategies they can begin using the very next day.
Why Directors Choose This Training
- Gives teachers practical tools instead of more theory
- Supports engagement, SEL, and positive classroom community
- Encourages creativity without adding complicated preparation
- Helps educators redirect classroom energy through purposeful play
- Builds staff confidence and enthusiasm
- Creates an enjoyable shared professional development experience
What Directors Are Saying
"Play-Ground Theatre was one of the best trainings we have had! I heard rave reviews from my staff and can't wait for them to come back. By far the best training ever! I would highly recommend anything they offer!"
— Shannon Hall, Early Learning Center Director
Ideal For: Preschools • Childcare Centers • Early Learning Programs • Elementary Schools • After-School Programs • Professional Development Days
Bring This Training to Your Staff
📞 Call Jeff at 303-258-0393
🤝 Re-Energize Your Team
An Interactive Team-Building & Staff Morale Experience
90-Minute Interactive Staff Training
Reconnect your team, lift morale, and bring some much-needed joy back into the workday.
Early childhood educators give an incredible amount of themselves every day. Sometimes the people responsible for creating positive environments for children need an opportunity to reconnect, laugh, play, and feel energized themselves.
Re-Energize Your Team uses music, movement, creative challenges, and playful acting games to help staff step outside their everyday roles and connect with one another in an entirely different way.
This is more than team-building—it's a joyful reset.
What Your Staff Will Experience
- Shared laughter and positive energy
- Creative challenges that build camaraderie
- Music and movement that lift morale
- Acting games that encourage trust and participation
- Opportunities to connect beyond everyday workplace roles
- A renewed sense of teamwork and shared purpose
What This Training Builds
- Stronger staff relationships
- Better communication and connection
- Increased trust and mutual respect
- Positive workplace culture and morale
- Confidence, openness, and group cohesion
- A renewed sense of purpose and joy
Why Directors Choose This Training
- Creates an immediate, visible shift in staff energy
- Strengthens team culture without awkward corporate icebreakers
- Gives hardworking educators an opportunity to recharge together
- Encourages connection through laughter and shared experiences
- Perfect for kicking off the year or providing a much-needed mid-year reset
What Directors Are Saying
"Jeff and Mia have such a gift of energy and positive, endearing personalities that they bring to their trainings and performances. After the training the staff were left excited, energized, and inspired."
— Cortney Fillion, Director – CCLC
Ideal For: Professional Development Days • Staff Retreats • In-Service Trainings • Program Kick-Offs • Mid-Year Resets • Leadership Events
Re-Energize Your Team
📞 Call Jeff at 303-258-0393
🌟 Honor & Appreciation
A Staff Appreciation & Culture-Building Experience
90-Minute Interactive Staff Training
Your educators spend their days helping children feel seen, supported, and valued. This experience turns that attention toward them.
Through guided theatrical activities, reflection, laughter, and joyful group interaction, participants experience what it feels like to be genuinely seen and appreciated—while also discovering meaningful ways to offer that recognition to others.
What Your Staff Will Experience
- Genuine recognition for their individual contributions
- Opportunities to honor and celebrate one another
- A warm, inclusive atmosphere filled with encouragement
- Moments of reflection, laughter, and meaningful connection
- A renewed sense of belonging and appreciation
What This Training Cultivates
- Appreciation and mutual respect
- Empathy, affirmation, and gratitude
- Stronger emotional connections between team members
- Recognition of positive character traits and individual strengths
- A greater sense of belonging
- A joyful and affirming workplace culture
Why Directors Choose This Experience
- Helps hardworking educators feel genuinely valued
- Celebrates every member of the team
- Strengthens morale during demanding or transitional periods
- Creates meaningful connection without putting individuals on the spot
- Provides a memorable alternative to traditional staff appreciation events
What School Leaders Are Saying
"It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I recommend Play-Ground Theatre. Founders Jeff Haycock and Mia Sole are truly talented, professional, energetic, and positive—a team that helps staff reach and learn to new heights."
— Renee Collier, Principal
Ideal For: Teacher Appreciation Events • Professional Development Days • Staff Retreats • Culture-Building Initiatives • End-of-Year Celebrations
Honor Your Staff
📞 Call Jeff at 303-258-0393
🏢 Professional Development for Franchise & Multi-Location Organizations
One Experience. A Stronger Team Across Every Location.
Managing multiple early childhood locations brings a unique challenge: creating a strong, positive culture while giving educators across your organization practical tools and a shared sense of purpose.
Play-Ground Theatre can customize professional development experiences for:
- Preschool and childcare franchise groups
- Multi-location early learning organizations
- Regional staff gatherings
- Company-wide professional development days
- Leadership meetings and retreats
- Large-group educator events
Whether you're bringing together one center or an entire organization, our goal remains the same: send your educators back to their classrooms feeling connected, valued, energized, and equipped with ideas they can actually use.
Discuss Multi-Location Training
📞 Call Jeff at 303-258-0393
📚 Story Time: The Art of Engaging Storytelling
Interactive Professional Development for Children's Librarians
90-Minute Interactive Staff Training
Transform story time into an experience children and families can't wait to attend again.
Through hands-on theatrical techniques, participants discover how voice, movement, imagination, audience participation, and playful storytelling can turn reading aloud into an engaging shared experience.
Librarians Learn How To:
- Build confidence and presence while reading aloud
- Invite children and caregivers into the story
- Create playful, attention-grabbing story introductions
- Use voice, movement, and expression more effectively
- Manage audience energy and focus
- Encourage participation without losing control of the story
- Spark discussion, imagination, and connection
What This Training Strengthens
- Audience engagement during story time
- Participation from children and caregivers
- Expressive storytelling skills
- Early literacy through playful interaction
- Confidence and personal storytelling style
- Joyful community experiences families want to return to
What Librarians Are Saying
"Thank you again for enlightening our storytellers. You two are awesome! It was delightful to meet you!"
— Kim Parker, Training Specialist, High Plains Library District
"I walked away from your training totally hyped and ready to inspire families with all the theatre fun that you shared with us. I'm always amazed by how easily you captivate a crowd… You truly are the facilitators of JOY."
— Amy Ortiz, Children's Librarian, High Plains Library District
Ideal For: Children's Librarians • Storytime Facilitators • Family Programming Staff • Library Outreach Teams
Elevate Your Story Time
📞 Call Jeff at 303-258-0393
Customized Professional Development & Training
Have Something Different in Mind?
Not every organization has the same needs—and some of our most exciting professional development experiences begin with a conversation.
In addition to our signature 90-minute experiences, customized options may include:
- 60-minute intensive trainings
- Extended professional development sessions
- Half-day or full-day programs
- Multiple training topics combined into one experience
- Multi-location and large-group professional development
- Customized training residencies
- Educator training combined with student workshops
Play-Ground Theatre is based in Colorado and travels for professional development opportunities and customized residencies. Tell us what you're hoping to accomplish, and we'll explore what's possible.
Discuss a Custom Training or Residency
📞 Call Jeff at 303-258-0393
Meet Mia & Jeff
38 Years of Theatre, Teaching, Laughter & Play
Play-Ground Theatre founders Mia Sole and Jeff Haycock are a husband-and-wife team who bring 38 years of experience performing, teaching, creating, and training together.
They are experienced performers, teaching artists, keynote speakers, and authors who believe professional development should be every bit as engaging as the experiences educators are expected to create for children.
Mia and Jeff are the authors of:
Theatre Games for Preschool Children Ages 3–6
and
Theatre Games for Elementary School Children Ages 7–12
Their philosophy is simple:
People learn best when they're engaged—and sometimes the most powerful learning happens when we're having fun.
Jeff is the music maker. Mia is the one who makes you smile. Together, they create experiences people remember.
Trusted by Educators, Schools & Organizations
Play-Ground Theatre has worked with educators, schools, early learning programs, libraries, and organizations to create professional development experiences that are practical, positive, and memorable.
What Participants Remember
"Play-Ground Theatre was one of the best trainings we have had! I heard rave reviews from my staff and can't wait for them to come back. By far the best training ever!"
— Shannon Hall, Early Learning Center Director
"After the training the staff were left excited, energized, and inspired."
— Cortney Fillion, Director – CCLC
"You truly are the facilitators of JOY."
— Amy Ortiz, Children's Librarian, High Plains Library District
Book Professional Development
Give Your Staff a Training They'll Talk About After It's Over
Colorado Professional Development
60-Minute Intensive — $600
90-Minute Interactive Training — $800
Customized pricing is available for extended trainings, multi-location organizations, large-group events, and traveling professional development residencies.
📞 Call Jeff at 303-258-0393
✉️ Email Play-Ground Theatre
Check Availability & Request Training Information
Let's create professional development your staff will actually be excited to attend.
Training Inquiry Form
Which Training Are You Interested In?
- Theatrical Tactics for the Classroom
- Re-Energize Your Team
- Honor & Appreciation
- Story Time: The Art of Engaging Storytelling
- Franchise / Multi-Location Training
- Customized Training or Residency
- Not Sure — Help Me Choose
Ready to Book Professional Development?
Empower your educators with practical, classroom-ready drama tools
Or contact us with questions:
📞 Call: 303-258-0393
✉️ Email: playgroundpower@aol.com
We'd love to learn about your team and help you plan a professional development experience that fits your goals, schedule, and group size.
We typically respond within 24 hours