The Mattering Toolkit: A Pathway to Human-Centered Teams
If you’ve ever walked into a program where the energy feels light, the teamwork feels natural, and the children seem grounded and joyful, you’ve likely experienced something we don’t talk about nearly enough in early childhood education: a culture where people feel like they matter.
Not in a vague, “we appreciate you” kind of way.
But in a daily, lived experience of being noticed, affirmed, and needed.
This is the heartbeat of our work.
And it’s why The Mattering Toolkit was created.
Why Mattering Must Be Visible, Not Assumed
One thing I’ve learned after coaching countless teams is this:
Mattering doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by intention.
We can have the most beautiful mission statements, the most robust curriculum, and the most talented educators—and still find ourselves in cultures where people feel unseen or undervalued.
In early childhood programs, the pace is fast, the emotional load is heavy, and the stakes are high. When we don’t have shared systems for noticing, affirming, and connecting, even the strongest teams can drift into survival mode.
That’s where the Mattering Toolkit comes in.
It gives teams a clear, actionable pathway for building a culture that sustains—not drains—its people.
Inside the Toolkit: Tools Designed for Real Human Work
This toolkit isn’t theoretical. It’s practical, relational, and deeply aligned with the Team Agreements mission: helping Me, Core, and Big teams strengthen the emotional foundations that make everything else possible.
Here’s a glimpse into what you’ll find:
1️⃣ The Power of Mattering:
A grounding introduction to the Noticed–Affirmed–Needed (N-A-N) framework.
This resource invites teams to explore what mattering feels like—and how it fuels motivation, resilience, and purpose.
2️⃣ Mattering Self-Assessment Rating Scale:
This tool helps staff reflect on how mattering currently shows up at the Me, Core, and Big levels.
It’s honest, clarifying, and a beautiful conversation starter.
3️⃣ Mattering in Action Reflection Guide:
One of my favorite pages.
It helps teams identify bright spots, barriers, and next steps, turning reflection into movement.
4️⃣ Leadership Guide: Making Mattering Visible Every Day:
For directors and coaches who want to embed mattering into systems:
feedback
supervision
meetings
decision-making
It’s where human-centered leadership meets practical routines.
5️⃣ Belonging Muscle Memory Tools:
Because belonging isn’t a one-time PD session.
It’s a daily practice.
These trackers help teams build consistency in noticing effort, inviting voice, and celebrating strengths.
6️⃣ The Ripple Effect Reflection Guide:
This section beautifully illustrates how adult well-being ripples outward—to classrooms, families, and program culture.
When adults feel emotionally safe and valued, children experience it too.
7️⃣ Culture Sustainability Planner:
Because mattering can’t depend on one leader, one initiative, or one moment.
This planner helps programs build mattering into the bones of their systems.
8️⃣ Mattering Cards:
Simple. Practical. Transformative.
These ready-to-use Noticed–Affirmed–Needed sentence stems help teams practice micro-moments of recognition—fueling connection in less than a minute.
The Toolkit Is More Than a Resource—It’s a Movement
The Mattering Toolkit wasn’t designed to sit on a shelf.
It’s meant to spark new habits, new conversations, and new ways of being together.
It supports leaders who want to sound less like supervisors and more like guides.
It supports teachers who want to feel anchored in purpose even on hard days.
It supports children and families who benefit when adults feel steady, capable, and connected.
Every page is built on one fundamental belief:
When people feel seen, valued, and essential, they show up differently.
Their energy shifts.
Their relationships deepen.
Their impact grows.
When teams practice mattering together, they move from managing tasks to building community.
How Your Team Can Begin
Here’s a simple, Team Agreements-style starting point:
1️⃣ Choose one resource from the toolkit.
2️⃣ Introduce it during a staff meeting or coaching session.
3️⃣ Practice one small daily action that reinforces mattering—just one.
4️⃣ Watch for micro-shifts in energy, tone, and connection.
5️⃣ Celebrate them. Those tiny shifts mean everything.
Teams don’t transform overnight.
They transform through consistent, human-centered moments practiced again and again.
Final Thought: The Echo of Every Interaction
One of my guiding beliefs is this:
“The way adults treat one another becomes the emotional blueprint for how children learn to treat the world.”
When you implement the Mattering Toolkit, you are doing more than supporting your team.
You’re shaping the social-emotional climate children grow up in.
You’re strengthening family connections.
You’re modeling the kind of community we all want to belong to.
This is the work that echoes.
This is the work that ripples.
This is the work that transforms.
Download this resource. It’s free through the end of January!!