Childsplay
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersTempe, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Childsplay does
Childsplay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit children's theater company founded in 1977 and headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, currently operating in its 49th season. The organization produces theatrical performances for children and families at its Tempe venue, tours productions nationally (Maddi's Fridge for 2025-26 and Snowy Day for 2026-27), and operates a portfolio of youth development and education programs spanning Academy classes and camps for ages 4-18, YETi teen theatre, CAST show choir, and a Conservatory track. The company's core business combines consumer-facing ticket revenue with B2B/B2G revenue from school residency programs, in-school performances, field trips, and educator professional development, priced from $150 for classroom lessons to $850 for after-school programs.
Childsplay's signature education offering is EYEPlay (Early Years Educators at Play), a research-backed professional development program that trains preschool teachers in drama-based literacy and social-emotional learning techniques. EYEPlay has been validated through quasi-experimental and experimental studies conducted in partnership with Arizona State University, with peer-reviewed publications in Childhood Education and the International Journal of Education and the Arts. The program has expanded into a dual-language variant (with Helios Education Foundation funding), a Florida replication (via Orlando Repertory Theatre), and an EYEPlay ADAPT variant for Pre-K Special Education classrooms (funded by the Spencer Foundation and U.S. Department of Education EIR program). EYEPlay has been implemented in 122 classrooms including 24 bilingual/dual language sites across Arizona and Florida.
The revenue model is diversified across earned income (ticket sales, school program fees, academy tuition, national tour licensing) and contributed income (foundation grants, federal/state education funds, individual donations through the Society for Imagination and Wonder donor society). Material grant funders include Helios Education Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education (AAEDD and EIR programs), the Spencer Foundation, and the AZ Department of Education (ESSER funds). Distribution occurs through the Tempe venue, on-site school programs delivered by 40+ teaching artists, national touring, and a self-serve online learning platform.
Childsplay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Childsplay
- Legal name
- Childsplay
- Website
- https://childsplayaz.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Childsplay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Theater and Performing Arts Education
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Educational Services (61)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Performing Arts (Acting, Improv, Theater) (EDAAAGAE), Classroom Learning Centers & Thematic Units (Dramatic Play, Blocks, Sensory, STEM) (EDACAJAH), Parent–Child Play & Interaction Programs (EDACALAF)
Keywords
Where Childsplay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tempe
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Childsplay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to theater performances and shows for children and families. The organization operates a 49th season with various productions.
- School Program Fees: Schools and districts pay for drama residency programs, in-school performances, field trips, and professional development services. Pricing starts at $150 for creative drama in classrooms, $400 for custom programs, and $850 for after-school programs.
- Academy Classes and Camps: Revenue from theater classes, camps, and programs for kids and teens ages 4-18, including private lessons and the Conservatory program.
- Donations and Grants: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 86-0336473), Childsplay receives charitable donations and grants from foundations such as Helios Education Foundation and government education funds.
- National Tours: Revenue from touring productions such as Maddi's Fridge (2025-2026 National Tour) and Snowy Day (2026-2027 National Tour) to venues outside Arizona.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | After-School Drama Programs |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Creative Drama in Classroom |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Custom Classroom Programs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Childsplay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Childsplay produces live children's theater performances and delivers drama-based educational programming. The organization stages mainstage and national touring theatrical productions for families, and offers in-school residencies, field trip performances, after-school drama programs, and educator professional development programs (EYEPlay, Drama Frames, Lit Lab) to schools, districts, and preschools. Complementary youth development offerings include theater classes, camps, and teen programs (YETi, CAST, Conservatory) for ages 4-18.
Product overview
Childsplay is a nonprofit children's theater company offering a multi-faceted portfolio of programs. The core offering is theatrical productions for children and families, featuring seasonal mainstage shows and national touring productions. Educational programs include drama-based professional development for educators (EYEPlay, Drama Frames, Lit Lab, and custom school workshops) and school residency programs. Youth development offerings span Academy classes and camps (ages 4-18), YETi Teen Theatre, and after-school drama programs. The organization also produces a podcast for educators and provides downloadable educational resource guides to complement productions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EYEPlay: Early Years Educators at Play - a creative drama program designed specifically for preschool that transforms story times into spaces of active literacy, language and social emotional learning.
- YETi
- CAST
- Drama Frames
- Lit Lab
- Academy
- LEAP into Literacy
- Conservatory
- Society for Imagination and Wonder (SIW)
Products and services
- Theatrical Productions Live theater performances for children and families, including seasonal mainstage shows and national touring productions such as Maddi's Fridge and Snowy Day, performed at the Tempe venue and on tour.
- EYEPlay (Early Years Educators at Play) Creative drama professional development program for preschool teachers and children ages 3-5 that transforms story times into active literacy and social-emotional learning experiences through drama-based lessons; supported by an interactive online learning platform and variants for dual-language and Special Education classrooms.
- Drama Frames Job-embedded professional development model that works one-on-one with teachers to integrate drama into their curriculum, originally funded by a million dollar grant from the US Department of Education.
- Lit Lab Bite-sized, multi-week professional development program for PreK-2nd grade educators to work with teaching artists integrating drama practices into classrooms.
- School/District Professional Development Workshops Custom professional development workshops for schools and districts based on their specific goals and needs, delivered by Childsplay's team of educators and teaching artists.
- Creative Drama in Your Classroom Drama-infused classroom lessons connecting to core curriculum topics, including the 'Curtains Up' Performance Residency and Build Your Own custom programs; pricing starts at $150.
- Creative Drama After-School After-school programs exploring new worlds through science, literacy, or social-emotional development, including Explore-A-Story, Actor's Tools, and Improvmmania modules; pricing starts at $850.
- Academy Classes & Camps Theater classes and summer camps for youth ages 4-18 covering acting, performance skills, and theatrical arts, including private lessons.
- YETi - Teen Theatre Teen theater program offering advanced theatrical experiences for teenagers, including mainstage productions such as Dracula and The Spelling Bee.
- CAST - Teen Show Choir Teen show choir program providing ensemble singing and performance training for teenagers.
- Conservatory Advanced theater training program for teens and young artists seeking intensive performance and artistic development.
- National Tours Traveling theatrical productions licensed and performed at regional theaters across the U.S., including Maddi's Fridge (2025-2026) and Snowy Day (2026-2027).
- Private Lessons One-on-one private coaching and lessons in acting and performance skills for youth.
Quantifiable outcome
- Statistically significant increases in teacher facilitation skills and children's scores in literacy and cognitive elements of Teaching Strategies Gold
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Childsplay
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Childsplay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Childsplay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Phoenix Elementary Districtcore4-year grant from US Department of Education's EIR program for EYEPlay Adapt experimental design study in Phoenix-area Special Education preschool classrooms, focusing on students with high communication needs.
- Phoenix Elementary DistrictcoreSpencer Foundation Research Practice and Partnership Grant awarded to develop EYEPlay ADAPT in partnership with Phoenix Elementary District to serve Pre-K Special Education classrooms.
- Orlando Repertory TheatrecoreFlorida partnership to expand EYEPlay Dual Language in 13 Phoenix classrooms, with parallel study by ASU researchers evaluating effectiveness of drama as teaching strategy for emergent bilingual children.
- Orange County Public Schools (Florida)coreFlorida expansion partner for EYEPlay Dual Language program implementation in partnership with Orlando Repertory Theatre.
- Creighton School DistrictcorePartner in four-year grant with ASU and Helios Education Foundation to create dual-language version of EYEPlay and study impact of dual language learning on children's academic achievement.
- Osborn School DistrictcorePartner in four-year grant with ASU and Helios Education Foundation to create dual-language version of EYEPlay.
- First Things First Family Resource CentersminorLEAP into Literacy adult/family literacy programs offered at First Things First Family Resource centers throughout metro Phoenix to encourage active reading during storytime at home.
- Paradise Valley Community CollegeminorPartnership to offer semester-long version of EYEPlay as part of continuing education for preschool teachers.
- Arizona State University (ASU)coreResearch partnership with Dr. Michael Kelley and formal research team conducting quasi-experimental and experimental studies of EYEPlay's impact on teacher and child achievement. Ongoing collaboration on program evaluation and development.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Childsplay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Orlando Repertory Theatre: Professional theater for young audiences and existing EYEPlay expansion partner in Florida; directly comparable in mission, audience, and education-integrated model.
- Children's Theatre Company: Minneapolis-based, one of the largest US children's theaters, producing family shows and theater education, directly comparable to Childsplay's core offering.
- Seattle Children's Theatre: Major nonprofit theater producing plays for young audiences with extensive drama education programs, closely mirroring Childsplay's productions-plus-education model.
- Imagination Stage: Bethesda nonprofit offering children's theater productions plus theater education and inclusive arts programming, very similar to Childsplay's scope.
- First Stage: Milwaukee children's theater pairing professional productions with a large theater academy, paralleling Childsplay's Academy and YETi youth programs.
- TheaterWorksUSA: National touring theater for young and family audiences; directly comparable to Childsplay's national tour business model.
- Dallas Children's Theater: Nonprofit theater for young audiences with academy classes and school programs, matching Childsplay's combined performance and education portfolio.
- Nashville Children's Theatre: Long-running professional theater for young audiences with school and education programs comparable to Childsplay.
Emerging players
- Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts: Arts-integration provider training early-childhood educators to use performing arts in classrooms, directly comparable to Childsplay's EYEPlay/Drama Frames teacher PD model.
Regional players
- The Coterie Theatre: Kansas City professional theater for young audiences with education programs; comparable offering serving a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Childsplay social profiles
Digital presenceChildsplay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Childsplay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Childsplay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Childsplay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Childsplay
What does Childsplay do?
Childsplay produces live children's theater performances and delivers drama-based educational programming. The organization stages mainstage and national touring theatrical productions for families, and offers in-school residencies, field trip performances, after-school drama programs, and educator professional development programs (EYEPlay, Drama Frames, Lit Lab) to schools, districts, and preschools. Complementary youth development offerings include theater classes, camps, and teen programs (YETi, CAST, Conservatory) for ages 4-18.
Is Childsplay a public or private company?
Childsplay is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Childsplay founded?
Childsplay was founded in 1976. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Childsplay based?
Childsplay is headquartered in Tempe, United States, in the North America region.
How does Childsplay make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are school Program Fees, academy Classes and Camps, donations and Grants and national Tours.
Who are Childsplay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Orlando Repertory Theatre, Children's Theatre Company, Seattle Children's Theatre, Imagination Stage, First Stage, TheaterWorksUSA, Dallas Children's Theater and Nashville Children's Theatre. Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts is listed as an emerging player. The Coterie Theatre is listed as a regional player.
Does Childsplay have an API?
No public API is recorded for Childsplay.
What industry is Childsplay in?
Childsplay's product category is Children's Theater and Performing Arts Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAE, Children’s & Youth Theatre, with a secondary code of EDAAAGAE, Performing Arts (Acting, Improv, Theater). Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.