Tori has lived in Bozeman, MT since 1999. She graduated from Bozeman High School and received a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Montana State University. Tori went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood through Champlain College. Tori has always had a passion for working with and supporting young children and families. Prior to her employment at CCC she worked directly with children in a variety of settings. Tori joined CCC in 2012 as the Provider Services Coordinator. Tori has three young children who attend licensed child care in Bozeman. When Tori is not in the office, she enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, singing, and having dance parties!

Kami has been with the Child Care Connections team since 2007. Kami is a Bozeman native graduating from Montana State University.  She holds a B.A. in Health and Human Development, Family and Consumer Science. Her passion for helping families and her background in early childhood drew her to Child Care Connections’ mission. In her spare time, Kami stays busy with her three children and husband camping, side-by-side riding, and enjoying the outdoors.

Brandi is a Montana Native and has lived in Helena and East Helena most of her life. She graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education and an A.A. in Business Administration from Carroll College in 1998, then completed an A.A. in Early Childhood Education from UM Western in 2004. She earned one of the first P-3 certificates awarded in Montana. Brandi is passionate about working with young children and has been in the Early Childhood field in various roles for over 20 years. Most of Brandi’s free time is spent with her family relaxing and enjoying outdoor activities.

Born and raised in Helena, Sarah ventured west and graduated with a B.A. in Global Development and Hispanic Studies at Pacific Lutheran University in 2018. Her time interning and working for organizations focused on community development and social justice fueled her passion to strengthen communities through education and collaboration. Sarah joined our team in 2019 and works with families to explore tools and local resources that help them thrive. Sarah is also one of our bilingual staff members, working with Spanish speaking families in our community.  When Sarah isn’t in the office, she spends her time exploring Montana, printmaking, tending to her many plants, and spending time with friends and family.

Sam graduated with a B.S. in Community Health and a minor in Human Development from Montana State University. During her time in college, she participated in fundraising and volunteer events leading to an internship with a local non-profit her last semester in school. Where Sam found her passion in providing and giving back to the community. She joined the CCC team as the Outreach Coordinator, with five years of non-profit experience, in November 2021.  When she is not in the office, Sam enjoys hiking with her dogs, floating the Madison with friends, reading, and crafting.

Cassidy graduated with a B.S. in Health Care Management from Rasmussen College in 2012 and is currently pursuing her MBA. Prior to that, she served as an Americorps VISTA working with the Illinois Coalition for Community Service as well as serving on a volunteer fire department as a firefighter and an EMT. She joined Child Care Connections in late 2018. When not in the office, Cassidy enjoys spending as much time as possible with her family, reading, traveling, and going on spontaneous adventures. Her main goal in life is to honor her late son Cayden by continuing his mission to spread kindness, acceptance, and love to as many people as possible 

Amber was raised in Clancy, Montana and graduated at University of Montana Western in 2020 with a major in English and Professional Communications. Amber has a passion for non-profits and early childhood education; she joined CCC as an Eligibility Specialist in December of 2021. She works closely with families through the process of applying for the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship. In her spare time, Amber is camping, ATV riding, canoeing, curled up with a good book, and spending time with her family!  

Rebecca is a family service eligibilty specialist with Child Care Connections. She grew up in North Central Montana and graduated with a K-8 Elementary Education degree from MSU-Billings. She taught 6th grade in Harlem, MT, and 4th & 5th grade in Havre, MT until she moved to Bozeman in 2021, and started with CCC in December 2021. In her free time Rebecca loves to read, be outdoors, and spend quality time with her family and friends

Jessie is a Bozeman native and Graduated with a BA in Elementary Education & Early Childhood from Montana State University. She has always had a passion for working to support children and families, which is why she joined Child Care Connections’ team in April 2022. Most of Jessie’s free time is spent with her two daughters and husband camping, golfing, side-by-siding, and doing anything outdoors. 

Katy facilitates sponsorship of Family and Group daycare homes that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Central Michigan University.  A Montana native, Katy spent some time in other parts of the US before coming back home to raise her children, ages 10 and 12.  She and her family enjoy camping, hiking, boating, fishing, and snowshoeing in the great outdoors.

Larisa came to Child Care Connections in 2020 after over 20 years serving as a child care center owner/director of both for-profit and non-profit facilities in Helena.  She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Carroll College along with an Infant/Toddler CDA.  As a native Montanan and a resident of Helena for over 25 years she has been active in bringing awareness and engaging in collaborations surrounding early childhood education and the critical role it plays for children, families, and communities.

In her position at CCC as a Professional Development Specialist, she provides required and new training to those working in the early childhood field as well as being a resource for providers and families in Helena and surrounding communities. 

When out of the office, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, MSU football, traveling, and reading.

Tammy Christofferson is the Provider Support Lead at Child Care Connections.   She has been with CCC for almost 9 years.  In her current position, she assists interested persons through the licensing process and supports them during their first year of operation as a childcare business owner.  Tammy also works with new directors and existing providers who have a desire to increase their knowledge in the early childhood field.   

Tammy has been in the Early Childhood field for over 35 years.  Her experience includes being a family and group daycare home provider, preschool teacher, K-3 multi-grade teacher overseas, and 12 years as director of a large childcare. She is passionate about her desire to support providers in setting up high quality environments and advancing their knowledge of the early childhood field through trainings and education, and one-on-one support.   

Tammy holds a BA from University of Northern Iowa in Early Childhood/Elementary Education.  She has been an American Red Cross instructor since 2000 and teacher CPR/First Aid for CCC.  Tammy is also a CDA PD Specialist.  She is a two-time breast cancer survivor who adores her husband of 35 years, and her two grown children.  Her favorite hobbies include reading, watching her favorite TV shows, baking, scrapbooking and camping.  Tammy has learned through difficulties to take one day at a time and to never take life’s blessings for granted.   A favorite quote of hers is “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s learning to dance in the rain.” 

Dean is the  Director of the Economic Development Department at HRDC (Human Resource Development Council) and the Livingston office supervisor. His team serves at risk youth in a variety of ways, and prepares them for transition to adulthood. HRDC also runs a tax assistance program, and FOC program (financial opportunities center, where they weave financial planning, literacy, and skills into all the services provided, including to youth. The goal is to equip customers with the tools to empower them to achieve long-term economic stability.  

 In a past life, Dean has also been a teacher and a vegetable farmer, all in Bozeman. He have a graduate degree in Native American studies, and when not at work, Dean enjoys skiing most any mountain, hiking most any peak, paddling most any river, and sitting in most any hammock. 

Carissa Haas started her career at Glacier Bancorp in 2002 and currently works as a Senior Vice President and the Chief Financial Officer of First Security Bank.  She graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance and also attended the Financial Manager’s Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Carissa joined the Child Care Connections Board in 2019 and is inspired to serve as they confront one of the toughest issues facing the community. She appreciates the opportunities CCC provides for their families, providers, volunteers, donors, and staff.  In addition to her role at CCC, Carissa also serves on the Board of Gallatin Elite Soccer Club, is actively involved in Gallatin Valley Pheasants Forever and volunteers for numerous other charities and non-profit organizations.  She values spending time with her husband, Chris, their two kids, Harrison and Hazel, and French Bulldog, Bob Barker.  Carissa stays busy hosting dinner parties, cheering on the Bobcats, golfing, boating, and spending time in the Flathead and Georgetown Lake. 

Jill Richards is the Admissions and Outreach Director for Intermountain Residential, a residential treatment facility for children ages 4-13, in Helena, Montana. She has been with Intermountain Residential for over 17 years, starting in direct care and moving into case management and admissions, most recently serving in her current leadership position. Jill joined the CCC board in 2022. When Jill is not working, you can find her spending time with her family and friends enjoying the beauty of Montana, at various sporting events, or in the kitchen baking with her 6-year-old twins. 

Aysha is a Montana native who has lived in Bozeman since 2005. She received a BFA In studio metalsmithing and a BA in K-12 Art Education from Montana State University. Upon graduation and the birth of her first child she found herself immersed and fascinated with the world of early childhood care and education. She saw the pitfalls and lack of support for a small community of professionals that work in a high stress environment daily and she wanted to build community and camaraderie within the culture of licensed child care. Aysha has been a lead advocate in a variety of online settings; fostering support and education in groups like Gentle Parents Unite, which educates and supports over 80,000 members, where she was a lead Admin, to smaller coffee shop groups with 15-20 local Gallatin valley licensed providers. She has owned and independently operated her own licensed group child care facility for the last 10 years in the Gallatin valley. When she isn’t fully immersed in childcare development and wellbeing, she enjoys exploring new places outside with her 3 children and foster child. When Aysha isn’t teaching nature based preschool, she may be found snowboarding, sledding, swimming, paddle boarding, hiking, watching baseball or dance, frequenting local art exhibits and faires, or chasing the next moonrise on any given weekend with her children. 

Elizabeth Lilly, Ph.D. is a former elementary school teacher and retired professor of Early Childhood Education.  Since coming to Bozeman in 2018, she has been an Instructor at Montana State University in the Department of Education, tutored children with dyslexia at Gallatin Valley Learning Solutions, and is now the librarian for K-5th grade students at Cottonwood Elementary.   

Elizabeth is a staunch advocate for children and families.  In Georgia, she was appointed to a committee at the State Department of Education that wrote guidelines for the first public Pre-K program in the U.S.   Elizabeth was the Project Director of an Early Reading First federal grant at United Way Metro Atlanta, focused on professional development in early literacy for providers in four metro-area childcare settings. 

Elizabeth loves being in Bozeman, near her two grandchildren, son, and daughter-in-law who live in Big Sky.  She has another son who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is glad to stay in the sunny South!  Elizabeth enjoys living in the mountains of Montana, making friends in her new hometown, and exploring different areas of the state.