This practicum aimed to improve the way staff communicated with young children through in-service training in a university early childhood laboratory school setting. Eight in-service training sessions, combined with discussion groups, classroom/recorded observations, and practical applications, were provided. The program focused on appropriate ways to communicate with young children. An observational checklist and a survey were used in pre/post training to document the problem and to evaluate changes after implementation of the training sessions. Criteria for success of the program were to increase knowledge of appropriate ways to communicate, provide staff the opportunity to practice appropriate communication interactions, and to conceptualize the technique, as measured by the use of the pre/post training instruments. Success was evident in an increased number of correct responses on the posttest survey instrument and observations of staff utilizing appropriate ways to communicate with young children. The conclusion of the training sessions produced higher ratings, which indicate that the in-service training successfully improved staff-child communication and their interactions. Ten appendices include the survey form, observation checklist, trainee manual, tips for working with children, and observation summary reports. Contains 33 references. (Author/AA)