We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carmen Castillo-Barrett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carmen below.

Carmen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The mission of Kiddie Science is to plant the seeds of science. This is something we actively do each and every day through our workshop presentations. The idea and wording behind it happened during a casual meeting with a neighborhood friend and creative professional. This was when Kiddie Science was just an idea and it didn’t yet have a name (it was casually called Science w/ Ms. Carmen). I shared my idea and vision and from there came the idea of seeds. It’s been a fitting metaphor that perfectly captures what our focus is.

Carmen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Ms. Carmen and I run the Brooklyn-based nonprofit, Kiddie Science. I’ve been an educator for over twenty-five years, with direct experience in the traditional classroom and informal educational settings. My style of teaching science is hands-on and I strive to help students have a personal connection with science. Often, my passion and excitement for the subject wasn’t supported in the places I worked, so ultimately I created my own opportunity for authentic science exploration.

Nine years ago I founded Kiddie Science with the goal of engaging young learners in exploring science in fun and interactive ways. During the first few years it became clear that the excitement for science was always there, access was the obstacle. In 2017 the Kiddie Science Lab was founded, a physical location where learning and fun happen at the same time. Over the years, we have presented science workshops to thousands of young scientists, leaving a lasting impression. This is how we plant the seeds of science.

In an effort to support scientific thinking in creative ways, and increase overall accessibility to quality programs in the community, we partner with local educators and businesses that bring their own excitement and expertise. This collaboration exposes the families and young learners in our community to enrichment opportunities that engage them in creative and critical thinking.

The Kiddie Science Lab is a place where young children can see themselves as scientists and learners. A place where their curiosity is nurtured and where we work to foster a lifetime love of science.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most successful strategy to growing our clientele has been word of mouth. Telling even one other person about your child’s experience with Kiddie Science helps us grow. Sharing what your child learned, a project they worked on, or new science vocabulary they learned helps expand our reach and exposes another family to the wonders of science.

The next most successful strategy is engaging with us on social media. Far too many large businesses and corporations dominate social media marketing through sponsored ads. Similar to word of mouth, engaging with your favorite small business or community organization on social media helps expose them to new eyes. Like a post or share it. This simple act helps small businesses grow.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One week prior to NYC shutting down due to the global pandemic, Kiddie Science programming went on pause for what we anticipated would be a few weeks. It became very clear very quickly that it would be much more time than that and I braced myself for the possibility of just a month or two. It ended up being eighteen months.

In April 2020, I fully accepted the end of Kiddie Science. I mourned the loss of what we’d accomplished and what could have been. Over several weeks, I researched the process and priced out what it would cost to discontinue running the business. Just before I went ahead with closing up shop, I changed my mind and decided to give it one more try. I had no idea what exactly I was going to do, but not trying wasn’t an option.

For a little over a year, Kiddie Science transitioned to remote science workshops and events. The sidewalk of the Kiddie Science Lab became the place where the community came for free books and resources, a place to connect.

My community, the place where I have lived and worked for fifteen years, held me up during that time. Support came from unexpected places, sometimes anonymously. A kind word, checking in to see how things were going, a tax deductible donation, telling people about what we were doing. All of this, and more, kept the mission of Kiddie Science alive and going despite our physical doors being closed.

The commercial lease expired while in the midst of figuring out how to run business anew. Despite the unknowns, I knew this wasn’t the end. We negotiated an extension and forged on.

Almost three years after initially giving up on my own idea, I’m recommitted to the mission and goal of Kiddie Science in a whole new way. Recently, we renegotiated a five-year lease renewal which allows us to continue planting the seeds of science. I look forward to our growth within the community and to working with even more young scientists.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KiddieScience.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiddiescience/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiddieScience
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGouNeytP52M6LwnE6up4Zg