About Us
Our Mission: Build a comprehensive, sustainable system of local services that ensures all Chaffee County children have the supports they need to start school ready to learn.
CCECC is one of 34 Early Childhood Councils in Colorado that work in partnership to ensure the youngest children are ready for school and families have the support they need to work and succeed.
Founded in 2007, CCECC facilitates broad collaboration across the communities of Chaffee County to identify and address local needs related to early childhood.
CCECC’s efforts have resulted in the implementation of sustainable, cost-effective solutions that bring evidence-based services to families in our small communities.
Building and Sustaining a Strong Early Childhood System in Chaffee County
Families with young children often need support from an array of distinct systems to thrive. These include physical health, mental health and child care, among others.
CCECC serves as the coordinating council for the development of a comprehensive system of early childhood services that meet the needs of young children and families in Chaffee.
The work of CCECC and other Early Childhood Councils “connects the dots” between various agencies and implementers, creating efficiencies that ensure taxpayer dollars are maximized and local services are aligned to families’ needs.
Learn about the impact we’re making in Chaffee County
Meet the Team
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Sarah Romack
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Sarah Romack lives in Buena Vista with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. She moved to Buena Vista with her family at the age of 15. Sarah attended Buena Vista Highschool and is a graduate of Chaffee County Highschool. Her love for the field of early childhood education began as she helped a close friend run her “family, friend, and neighbor” home childcare and then decided to pursue an associate's degree in early childhood education at Colorado Mountain College.
In her 19 year career of serving children and families in Chaffee County, Sarah has taught in a preschool classroom, worked for the Department of Human Services, managed a home visiting program, and has been a member of the Chaffee County Early Council. Sarah has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University and belongs to the 14th Cohort of the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program.
As Council Director, Sarah hopes to bring her passion for the field of early childhood education as well as her commitment to supporting the children and families of Chaffee County, ensuring they receive the highest quality services possible.
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Trinity Stearns
PROJECT MANAGER
Trinity Stearns is the Project Manager for the Chaffee County Early Childhood Council and a longtime member of this community. She attended Buena Vista High School then obtained her bachelor's degree in Business Marketing from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Upon graduation in May 2023, Trinity moved back to Chaffee County to spend more time with her family and to work with the community through the council. Growing up with younger siblings, Trinity quickly found an interest in childhood development and education and simply enjoyed being around kids. She’s grateful for the opportunity she’s had to babysit/nanny for several families over the years, and to still be a “member” of a few of those families, but Trinity truly looks forward to being able to help even more families by supporting local early childcare systems through CCECC.
When Trinity isn’t on the job, she prefers to spend her time among her family: her loving parents, the greatest two role models in her life; her brilliant, yet overly sarcastic, younger sister; her goofy, Lego-obsessed younger brother, and her odd-dog Goldendoodle. Trinity also tends to be an avid reader who easily becomes absorbed in most fantasy novels but enjoys a good mystery as well. Despite her love for books, if she ever throws a quote at you, it most definitely came from a classic comedy movie, or more than likely, “that one South Park episode.”
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Marissa Buckingham
CHILDCARE RESOURCE NAVIGATOR
My name is Marissa Buckingham I’ve been living in Salida, CO since 2015 along with my two children. I’ve been working with children since I was 12 because I loved to babysit. As I grew up, I knew I wanted to do something with children. I was living in San Diego, CA and decided to take college classes in Child Development as I nannied for a few military families. I eventually moved to Rochester, Mn, and decided I was going to finish my degree in Child Development and got my first teacher job in the infant room right after graduation. After moving to Salida, I got a job with Children’s Discovery Ranch as a 3-year-old teacher then eventually started working with 4-5’s. I also help families who need care in my free time. I have taken lots of training to educate myself and help me grow in this profession. I’m very passionate when it comes to younger children and their growth. I believe a child’s environment is very important. In my free time I love to hike, run, spend time in the water, spend my time with my children, and my puppy. I also love Christmas and Hallmark movies.
Ensuring Our Future Workforce
Decades of research demonstrate that a child’s readiness for kindergarten is a reliable predictor of that child’s future academic and economic success. The experiences and relationships that a child has in the first five years— the period of the most rapid and sensitive brain development — can have lifelong impacts on health and well-being.
CCECC facilitates a coordinated, efficient and high-quality local system with young children and their families at the center. The result is that Chaffee County families, no matter which end of the county they live in, have access to an array of resources that foster healthy development for children in the critical early childhood period.
Financial Information
Click to view Chaffee County Early Childhood Council’s financial statements from the past three years.
Chaffee County Early Childhood Council is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
As such, CCECC files a 990 financial form annually with the IRS, which are available for public review.
Help Support Our Work
Donate, Support while you shop on Amazon or Both!
Tax-deductible donations to CCECC help to ensure our community’s youngest children start school ready to learn and thrive for a lifetime.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CCECC depends on support from donors in our community. All donations go directly to support our mission to build a comprehensive sustainable system of local services that ensures all children in Chaffee County have the supports they need to start school ready to learn.
Mail your tax deductible donation to CCECC:
P.O Box 176, Salida, CO 81201
Or make a secure online donation via ColoradoGives.org