We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Lister and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Mommy and Me: The Listers was birthed when my best friend pointed out how ahead of the curve our 1.5 year old, Krissy was. Krissy reached most of the 3-year-old milestones before she was 2 years old. Milestones such as alphabet recognition, letter sounds, and numbers up to 20 in both English and Spanish to name a few.

She encouraged me to not only document the work I put into my brilliant babies but, also to share my passion for teaching, skills in STEM education and STEM in everyday life.

We began Mommy and Me: The Listers not just to do cute stuff on our YouTube channel and social media but, we endeavor to provide access to industry leaders, science, technology, engineering and math resources, and community education to under-resourced communities.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mommy and Me: The Listers is made up of Crystal “Mommy”, 2-year-old Krissy, and 1-year-old Kinsley Lister. We are a STEM outreach organization that empowers scholars from underrepresented communities to get involved in STEM education. Led by an educator who specialized in crafting large-scale STEM events and experiences for underserved populations. Mommy and Me: The Listers is leading the charge by hosting our debut STEM event, The STEM Carnival, connecting the Acres Homes and adjacent communities with science experiments and exposure to careers and STEM pathways. Attendees will also be exposed to technology in the form of coding, robotics and drones; engineering design challenges; and engage in math challenges to incorporate learning while playing in an interactive carnival-themed event.

We also lead STEM experiments and host pre-school classes via our YouTube channel, utilizing this platform allows us to bring these amazing videos into the homes of those who may lack the resources that we can provide. It is our charge to increase student opportunities in STEM education and inspire the next generation of scientists by aiding in the development and delivery of STEM curriculum while engaging the community, leveraging partnerships, and pooling resources.

What sets us apart is that we are engaging in exciting in-home STEM experiments with young girls of color, we are learning while playing. We go well beyond the alphabets and numbers to incorporate critical thinking skills in early childhood. My charge is to show that you don’t have to wait for your children to get to “school” to expose them to STEM.

The Mommy and Me: The Listers brand started at home in our kitchen, with our first official YouTube video “The Magic Milk”, exploring chemical reactions with 2-year-old Krissy while 6-month old Kinsley cheered us on behind the scenes. From our first video to now, we have grown and expanded so much. Initially, I had no clue how to create thumbnails, edit videos to this caliber or how to utilize social media platforms to expand our reach. However, what I did possess was a passion to teach, the skills to educate others and the desire to reach the masses and serve the community. This pairing led me to research and study how to utilize the YouTube platform to help others. Our support has been unparalleled, we have received many calls and messages sharing how beneficial our videos are and this is our why!

We did not stop at creating YouTube videos, we decided to take this show on the road and bring our in-home resources to the people. This is why we decided to create our inaugural STEM Carnival, to provide services right to the communities. We are collaborating with industry leaders, women in STEM and minorities in STEM fields, to show that there is an equal opportunity for everyone. The STEM Carnival is a gateway to provide the next generation with opportunities and expose scholars to pathways the otherwise would not be exposed to.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A few of our favorite spots in the city is our home church, Greater Faith Baptist Church. There is so much history in the land filled with a fellowship of inspirational leaders. Such as our amazing Pastor, Pastor: Bennet T. Cortez, who has granted us the right to host our very own, larger-than-life, STEM Carnival on Saturday, September 10th, 2022. Greater Faith Baptist Church is a church deeply rooted in the community and family. Pastor Bennett T. Cortez encourages and uplifts his congregation and does everything in his power to be an activist, and servant leader, he connects with the youth and elders alike. I am proud to say that I am a member of this church and a part of their mission to uplift the community through service, work, and fellowship.

Another one of our favorite spots is the Children’s Museum, we can spend all day in there and never tire out. They have the ultimate collection of hands-on experiences combined with outdoor and water play. We are always excited to go and always leave with more knowledge than we came with!

Lastly, the Museum of Natural Science-Cockrell Butterfly Center is one of our favorite places ever since Krissy and Kinsley emerged their own Painted Lady butterflies in our home. You can check this video out on our YouTube channel to see how much the girls enjoyed caring for the caterpillars in all stages of their metamorphosis and we even had a butterfly release party!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate this shoutout to a few people who make sure Mommy and Me: The Listers operate successfully and function at our highest potential daily. We have many supporters who are behind the scenes ensuring that we are capitalizing on every opportunity to serve the community.

I would like to shout out the man behind it all, Kevin Lister, he is an amazing husband and Father. The roles he fills for Mommy and Me range from puppeteer, cameraman, director, producer, confidant and our biggest fan!

Second, Mommy and Me: The Listers would not exist if it weren’t for my babies, my little scientists Krissy and Kinsley Lister who give my life and my ministry even more purpose! It is a joy to be their Mommy and their very first teacher and I love that they enjoy being alongside me in our efforts to teach others.

Third, I must shout out Eleanor Humes, she has burned the midnight oil with us and has also been a puppeteer in order to get the girls to smile, to focus or just to have a fun reset. Being on set with lights, cameras and green screens are hard and she makes our lives much easier with her presence.

Last but, certainly not least, I would like to shout out the person who helped inspire it all, my forever friend and sister, Brandi Green. Brandi is nothing short of amazing, she is an amazing music director who doubles as a creative consultant for most of our projects. It was her influence that led me to create a platform for other children in such a public way to benefit Mothers, Fathers or other guardians who may not have the resources or wherewithal to teach their children.

These are the stars of the show, the ones who put in the work every day and sometimes every night, and my reason to fulfill our mission. Without them, this road would be all uphill.

Website: https://www.mommyandmethelisters.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mommy_and_me_the_listers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MommyAndMeTheListers

Youtube: https://www,youtube.com/c/mommyandmethelisters

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