Brooklyn's 'Kiddie Science' Lab Gets Help With Pandemic Pivot

BROOKLYN, NY — A "Kiddie Science" lab in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens was among 50 New York City small businesses to get a boost rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic with week.

The Citizens Committee for New York City revealed small businesses throughout the five boroughs that received a piece of its $400,000 in grant money, aimed at helping business owners recover from the coronavirus crisis.

In Brooklyn, six businesses got a "neighborhood grant" worth up to $10,000, including Kiddie Science Inc., which runs a kids' science company out of a lab on Rogers Avenue.

"Since our inception in 2013, the business has worked with thousands of New York City children to explore chemistry, botany, biology, engineering, physics, ecology, and other scientific topics," reads the company's description with Citizens Committee. "With the grant, the group is pivoting to providing online educational programming and mailing basic scientific materials so that youth can continue to engage in hands-on activities despite the virtual platform."

According to a report by the organization, two-thirds of neighborhood business applicants came from women-owned businesses, the majority come from applicants who self-identified as a person of color and more than half were from first or second generation households.

"From Queensbridge to Far Rockaway and the South Bronx, we recognize the disparities that our underserved communities face, but we also believe in people power and that we are more than capable of rebuilding our city again," said Citizens CEO Dr. Rahsaan Harris.

Citizens plans to open applications for another grant program in 2021.