COS Classroom is a comprehensive online professional development course that delivers strategies that support secure relationships in early childhood care and learning settings. By offering a new lens to educators, the focus shifts from finding ways to manage difficult behavior in search of compliance, to relationship-building that promotes well-being. Educators learn to apply Circle of Security strategies to daily classroom interactions, challenging behaviors, and transitions. 

Educators complete COS Classroom for foundational understanding, then connect with trained COS Classroom Coaches for ongoing support applying concepts with specific children and classroom challenges.

Key components of COS Classroom include:

• Classroom-Focused Video Examples: Video footage captured specifically in educational settings that directly relate to educator-student interactions
• Individual Learning Pathways: Personalized progress tracking with individual access to course materials including a course workbook and handouts, completion certificates, and continuing education credit
• Flexible Learning Format: Since content is delivered on-demand with individual login for each educator, educators are able to engage with the course learning activities individually during prep time, with small professional learning teams, or on whole-staff professional development days. Note: If working together in groups, each teacher will need to access their course individually for completion.
• Direct Educational Context: All scenarios, examples, and applications speak specifically to classroom and early care setting relationships with educators and young children (aged 4 months - 6 years of age)
• Integrated Coaching Access: Clear pathways connect educators to endorsed Circle of Security Classroom coaches for ongoing implementation support

COS Classroom represents a fundamental shift from training educators about attachment concepts to providing them with immediately applicable tools for strengthening the relationships that form the foundation of all classroom learning.

COS Classroom is designed for educators, rather than parents, eliminating the need to translate parenting practices to the classroom. We have also removed the structural barriers that prevented many schools from implementing Circle of Security concepts, including scheduling conflicts, substitute coverage costs, staff turnover challenges, and the need for specialized COSP Classroom facilitators.

For years, we heard consistent feedback about the obstacles schools and centers faced with traditional training models. Centers struggle to release entire teaching teams simultaneously, costs are mounting with substitute coverage needs, and staff turnover means constantly starting over with new cohorts. The timeline pressures of school years mean that by the time new training is organized, valuable opportunities for implementation have already passed.

The new on-demand, individual-access model allows teachers to engage with content during professional development days, work at their own pace, and join the learning journey regardless of when they start their position. This flexibility reduces costs while increasing accessibility for schools of all sizes and resource levels.

COS Classroom delivers classroom specific content directly to educators through individual logins, enhanced video examples from actual classroom settings, six months of direct access, with integrated pathways to ongoing coaching support. Unlike previous models that required facilitator interpretation from the COS Parenting program to the classroom, teachers now receive Circle of Security content designed specifically for their daily experiences with students.

Key innovations include:

• Enhanced Classroom Video Content: New footage captured specifically in educational settings, including powerful adaptations like classroom versions of the Still Face Experiment that directly relate to teacher-student dynamics
• Individual Learning Pathways: Each teacher has their own login to access the course for six months and can progress through content individually or in groups as their schedule allows
• Direct Educational Focus: Content speaks specifically to classroom relationships rather than requiring translation from parenting contexts
• Flexible Delivery Formats: Centers have flexibility to choose whether teachers work individually, in small groups, or as whole teams depending on their needs and organizational constraints
• Integrated Coaching Access: Clear pathways to ongoing implementation support through endorsed Circle of Security Classroom coaches

Direct educator access removes the bottleneck of training facilitators to then train teachers, making Circle of Security concepts immediately available to those who work directly with children every day. This streamlined approach reduces costs, eliminates scheduling barriers, and ensures teachers receive content designed specifically for their professional context.

Our previous model (COSP-Classroom) created what we recognized as an unnecessary barrier to implementation. Schools had to first identify and train facilitators, coordinate their schedules with teaching staff, arrange coverage for classroom time, and hope that facilitators could effectively translate concepts from parenting contexts to educational settings. This multi-step process often took months to organize and implement.

With direct access to content, a school/center can have all teachers engaged with Circle of Security concepts within days rather than months. The content is immediately relevant to classroom dynamics, and teachers can access learning on-demand and in real-time rather than waiting for scheduled training sessions.

Current COSP Classroom facilitators and anyone interested in bringing Circle of Security to educational settings will transition to the new COS Classroom structure, while the role of COSP Classroom facilitator shifts exclusively to coaching. This ensures consistency in content delivery and creates clear pathways for both initial learning and ongoing support.

For Current COSP Classroom Facilitators (as of December 2025):

• May continue current COSP Classroom Facilitator work while transitioning to the new COS Classroom model
• Special transition pricing and support to attend additional Coach training in 2026 toward COS Classroom Coaching endorsement
• Receive additional discount in 2026 toward COS Classroom Coach training
• This offers expires in 2027

For Current Circle of Security Classroom Coaches:

• Free access to COS Classroom to learn new content (for a limited time)
• Coaching Support to promote fidelity of coaching with educators and to gain access to enhanced classroom-specific tools and examples
• Membership enrollment opportunity to an online community of coaches around the world where they can learn from each other
• Opportunities to work with teachers around the world who have individually accessed the course and need coaching support applying the learning

Trained and currently enrolled COSP Classroom facilitators can continue their existing work while we transition support and resources to the new COS Classroom course. However, we will phase out training new COSP Classroom facilitators and gradually shift all resources toward supporting the new direct-to-educator approach.

Timeline for transition:

• January 2026: Stop accepting new COSP Classroom facilitator registrations
• February 2026: Launch COS Classroom with initial coaching cohorts
• 2026-2027: Transition period with support for both models
• January 2027: Complete phase-out of COSP Classroom resources and support

This timeline allows current facilitators to continue their valuable work while providing ample opportunity for facilitators to transition to the new coaching model if desired. We believe this new approach will ultimately serve educators and children more effectively while honoring the important work current facilitators have been doing in their communities.

Classroom coaching provides the essential bridge between understanding attachment concepts and implementing them effectively in specific classroom relationships. Research consistently shows coaching is necessary for sustained behavior change in professional settings. COS Classroom content provides the foundation, while coaching offers the individualized support needed for real-world application.

Traditional training models often leave educators wondering how to apply general concepts to specific challenging relationships. Coaching shifts the focus from learning strategies to change children's behavior, to understanding what happens in the relationship between teacher and child that makes connection difficult. 

Our coaching approach helps teachers identify their own relationship struggles, what COS calls "Shark Music," those moments when specific children trigger stress responses that interfere with providing the connection those children most need. Through reflective coaching conversations, educators work together with their coach to develop individualized Action Plans that  move relationships toward greater security.

Unlike typical educational coaching that focuses on behavior management techniques, Circle of Security coaching emphasizes:

• Relationship-Focused Problem-Solving: Understanding what makes specific teacher-child relationships challenging rather than just addressing behaviors
• Reflective Practice: Helping teachers recognize their own responses and develop awareness of relationship dynamics
• Individualized Support: Working with teachers on their actual classroom situations rather than generic strategies
• Ongoing Coaching: Sustained support for applying concepts consistently over time

• Complete COS Classroom on-demand course
• Complete the blended (mix of live/online instruction) COS Classroom Coach Training
• Engage in ongoing Classroom Coaching support (live on-line) to implement the learning with educators
• Sign a license agreement and complete annual endorsement requirements

All professionals wanting to work in educational settings using Circle of Security will need to complete COS Classroom before pursuing Coach training. This ensures everyone supporting teachers has direct experience with the classroom-specific content educators are receiving.

Current COSP Classroom facilitators who transition to coaches will receive special pricing on COS Classroom. Transition benefits must be used in 2026. Contact support@circleofsecurityinternational.com for more information.

Coaches will participate in regular coaching support sessions with COS Classroom Instructors (minimum of 2 annually) offered live on-line to maintain their endorsement and stay current with evolving classroom applications. This continuing education model ensures coaches have ongoing access to new learning, peer consultation, and calibration of their coaching skills - and access to Hands!

Classroom Coaching support sessions provide:

• Peer Learning Communities: Coaches share experiences and learn from each other's classroom work
• Calibration and Consistency: Ensuring coaches maintain fidelity to the Circle of Security model of change
• New Learning Integration: Access to emerging research and refined approaches
• Professional Accountability: Maintaining high standards for coaches representing Circle of Security in educational settings
• Coaches will track their own attendance and submit renewal documentation annually, similar to other professional endorsement requirements. This approach keeps administrative burden minimal while ensuring ongoing professional development.

COS Classroom launches in February 2026 with initial coaching cohorts beginning  thereafter, with on-demand enrollment opportunities throughout the year.

The course includes approximately 6 hours of video and an accompanying workbook for a total estimated completion time of 9-12 hours. Teachers can work through the content at their own pace individually or in groups with continuous access to the course for six months.

Yes, COS Classroom offers complete flexibility—teachers can watch content individually, in small groups, or as whole teams, while each maintains their individual login for assignments, including quiz completions for continuing education credit, and certificate completion.

Circle of Security Classroom (COS Classroom) is specifically designed for educational settings with classroom-focused content to be delivered on-demand directly to educators, while COSP Classroom adapted parenting content for classroom use facilitated with a trained COSP Facilitator. The new course eliminates that translation layer and the bottleneck of finding a trained facilitator.

Current coaches receive free access for a limited time to COS Classroom course to familiarize themselves with the new teacher content.  Coaches will be required to participate in coaching support two times a year (minimum) to maintain their annual coaching endorsement with Circle of Security International.

Coaches connect with educators through multiple pathways including our developing coach directory, direct school/center partnerships, individual teacher outreach, and existing professional networks. This creates more flexible, direct connections between coaches and the educators who need coaching support.