The Circle of Security Classroom Approach (COSC) is an eight-chapter professional development series designed to help promote an understanding of attachment theory and offer support to classroom teachers. It is modeled after the Circle of Security Parenting series.
COSC is designed to enhance teachers’ abilities to form important relationships with and be stable hands for the children they care for in their classrooms. Every child enters the world seeking a safe and strong bond with their caregivers. The development and nurturing of this secure attachment relationship are critical to a child’s future and well-being. Having a secure attachment between teachers and the children in their classrooms allows teachers to focus on meeting the needs of the children in their care.
Learning is only possible when children feel confident in the steady presence of their teachers. COSC helps teachers assess behavioral issues through the lens of attachment, recognizing behaviors as a symptom of unmet needs as opposed to an isolated moment.
For classroom teachers, secure hands mean they can support children’s emotional needs by being strong, kind and committed. For children to feel supported by these hands and develop safe attachments with their teachers, they need to know their teachers are committed and hold high expectations for them while also expressing high affection and seeing the child as an individual. Unlike parenting, commitment is optional for a teacher. When teachers are committed to the child, teachers show up both strong and kind.
Babies First North Carolina (Babies First NC) and the Birth-to-Three Quality Initiative (B-3QI) have offered COSC learning groups within both projects. Babies First NC conducted two COSC learning groups for teachers and administrators of the project’s selected sites, which span nine counties across the state. B-3QI conducted four groups for statewide Birth-to-Three Specialists, who offer coaching services to early care and education programs across North Carolina.
The COSC Approach also offers a two-tier learning experience for facilitators to become COSC Approach Classroom Coaches. The first tier is the COSC Approach Facilitator training, and the second tier is a year-long Coaching and Learning Collaborative. Two members of the Babies First NC and the B-3QI projects are involved in this experience for 2022-2023.
To learn more about The Circle of Security Classroom Approach, click here: https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/cosc-approach-an-overview/.
