The National Council for Spirit Safety and Education is an association of companies serving the international cheerleading community who share a primary mission: to provide comprehensive safety training and certification programs for the educational development of spirit coaches and advisors through a national council of unified industry leaders. Cheerleading safety classes are offered all across the United States, Mexico, Canada, England, Scotland, and Wales. Four classes make up the Master Level certification: Cheer/Dance Coaching Principles & Ethics, Program Management and Cheer Fundamentals, Coaching Stunts and Tumbling I, Coaching Stunts and Tumbling II.

Our courses were developed with the aid of our member companies AmeriCheer, Cheer Ltd., COA, UPA, Atlantic Cheer and Dance, and Spirit Unlimited. We incorporate the most current safety philosophies to offer outstanding cheer coaching safety education programs. Our material is updated quarterly to ensure the newest information is passed on to the coaches. We do not run competitions; we do not make rules. Our job is solely to focus on those aspects of coaching that will help cheer coaches continue to manage safe programs.

We don't just teach a test; our goal is education. We do not offer online or correspondence classes for NCSSE, nor do we offer them at cheer camps. Due to the serious nature of the material, all NCSSE courses are taught in a face-to-face setting. This interactive venue allows for discussions and correcting misinformation or misconceptions. NCSSE instructors have the opportunity personally to emphasize the roles of a cheer or dance coach as well as the legal responsibilities of coaches. Our course manuals emphasize the specific roles of each person in a stunt and the progressive safety measures that must be taken to ensure the safety of cheerleaders. Written tests must be successfully completed by coaches in order to receive NCSSE certificates. These tests are administered and graded during the NCSSE session which allows coaches to see what questions they missed and make the necessary corrections. This also allows instructors another opportunity to reinforce the information with the class attendees.

The NCAA requires college cheer coaches to complete a nationally recognized safety certification program. The NCSSE has been officially recognized as meeting this national formal safety certification credentialing requirement since April 2006. For more information contact Debbie Bracewell at dbracewell@spiritsafety.com or call 866.456.2773.