Circles Level 1

In the education system, creating a safe and welcoming environment for students is paramount in their success. Among the many issues today’s teachers face, protecting your students from sexual abuse, bullying, and online predators is one of the most challenging. The Circles Level 1 curriculum, created by Marklyn P. Champagne and Leslie Walker-Hirsch, is a comprehensive program designed to teach students how to manage and understand their own physical and emotional boundaries, as well as understanding the boundaries of others.

The program includes 107 minutes of video instruction covering topics such as Consent and Boundaries, the 5 Fundamental Rights, and the Five Different Circle Rules. Each lesson comes with printable handouts and engaging activities to ensure that students are actively participating and internalizing the concepts presented. The program also includes a comprehensive digital teacher’s guide with visual aids that make the learning experience concrete and easy to understand.

As educators, we must equip ourselves with the necessary knowledge and teaching tools to keep our students safe. The Circles Level 1 program comes fully loaded with everything you need to create a safe classroom where students can learn social boundaries and avoid exploitation.

The Circles Level 1 program stands out from other curriculum programs because it was developed with the help of leading experts in childhood sexual abuse prevention. Every aspect of the program was extensively tested in classrooms and was finalized with feedback from educators across the US. Rigorous testing ensures that the content is age-appropriate and relevant to students of different backgrounds. The main focus of Circles is to teach students about safe and appropriate social interaction. This updated edition includes a more in-depth description of the types of touch appropriate in each circle to ensure that students understand how to keep themselves safe.

There is now an emphasis on consensus and the right to refuse touch, even from people close to them. This helps students understand that they have the power to set boundaries and that those boundaries should be respected. One of the most significant improvements to the Circles program is the introduction of the Red Stranger Circle and the Red Stranger Space. These two new circles highlight the difference between total strangers who always stay far away and those strangers who may become part of a person's social network, even if briefly.

This distinction helps students understand the importance of boundaries with strangers and how to recognize potential risks. The updated giant Circles wall graph reflects this improvement as well. The updated Teacher's Guide enhances the curriculum with step-wise instructions for implementing the lessons and provides ideas for reinforcing the concepts presented. The guide now includes discussion questions to survey strengths and weaknesses in the area of social-developmental education. These questions can be used as student pre-and post-tests and will help both you and your students gain valuable insights into their social development progress.

Part 1: Social Distance

The Circles Level 1 program is designed to help students understand their social boundaries. This is achieved by teaching them about the relationship between the level of intimacy between people and the way they touch, talk, and trust each other. The program helps students identify relationship boundaries and relationship-specific behaviors. For example, it's okay to hug your mother, but it's not okay to hug the mail carrier.

Part 2: Relationship Building

As students progress through the program, they will learn about the role of mutual choice in building relationships. They will understand that intimacy levels change as relationships change and that there needs to be a balance between the two. Teaching students about mutual choice is critical for protecting them from exploitation and other forms of abuse.

Part 3: Sexuality Education

The Circles Level 1 program even includes a unit on sexuality education. This unit emphasizes 13 topics relevant to students in a comprehensive and age-appropriate way. The lessons are not video-based but are rich in support activities and discussion topics to help students grasp the concepts fully.

The Circles Level 1 Program is an essential tool for educators who want to teach their students how to recognize social boundaries and avoid exploitation. By completing this program, students will gain a better understanding of relationships, develop strong self-confidence, and build the critical thinking skills needed to navigate social situations safely.

Students who complete the full program demonstrate measurable improvements in boundary recognition — understanding who belongs in each circle of their life and what behaviors are appropriate for each relationship level. Teachers consistently report that students begin self-correcting their social interactions, referencing the Circles model when making decisions about touch, trust, and personal space.

The skills learned through Circles Level 1 are designed to be lifelong assets, helping students feel secure and connected throughout their educational journey and beyond. The concentric circles framework gives students a concrete, visual model they can carry with them — a tool for understanding every new relationship they encounter.

Circles Level 1 is included in the Circles subscription at $499/year (all 4 Circles programs) and in Stanfield+ at $999/year (the full library of 60+ programs). Both plans include a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.