GiGiFIT Movement Tracker Helps Build Daily Wellness Habits
by Kim Hanna It’s a universal issue: most of us struggle to build fitness into our daily lives. In theory, it sounds easy, and it is...until life happens. We get busy, priorities shift, and tasks that were once daily routine get pushed to the back burner. As parents, we naturally...
GiGi’s Playhouse receives groundbreaking $2 million MacKenzie Scott grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2024 – GiGi’s Playhouse, the only network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers, has been awarded a $2 million grant by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving. With over 6,300 nonprofits applying, GiGi’s was one of only 361 organizations selected to win the prestigious grant. Originally, GiGi’s...
My Great Aunt Joanie
This story was submitted via #MyDsStory. Submit your story here before April 11 and have a chance to win $250 for you and your Playhouse. Written by our guest writer, Claire Parker My Great Aunt Joanie was born in Dillon, SC in 1950 with a third copy of her twenty-first...
GiGi’s Playhouse 1:1 Literacy Tutoring Program Pairs Perfectly with March National Reading Month!
Don’t you just love that phonemic alliteration!! Program Pairs Perfectly! Learning to read opens doors to inclusion in the classroom, workplace and community. We know that visuals are key when teaching individuals with Down syndrome, so it is not surprising that reading visual language is often a strength for our...
GiGi’s Playhouse Invites Families, Schools, and Corporate America to: Take the iacceptyou.org Pledge on World Down Syndrome Day
As World Down Syndrome Day approaches on March 21st, GiGi's Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers, a global leader in the Down syndrome community, is calling upon people worldwide to visit www.IAcceptYou.org and take the #GenerationG pledge. I Promise to be #GenerationG. I will make a conscious decision to be better every...
Music Makers and Dance have gotten a PROMOTION to Signature Programs
GiGi’s Music Makers and Dance programs have been added to our list of Signature Programs!!! In 2023, the Programs team took a look at our most popular specialty programs and with a lot of research, collaboration and planning the GiGi’s Signature Dance and Signature Music Makers family of programs were...
Ways to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day 2024
When is World Down Syndrome Day? World Down Syndrome Day is on March 21, this date was picked to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome, which causes Down syndrome. How do you celebrate World Down Syndrome Day? World Down Syndrome Day is coming up, and...
Stephen and Charlotte – found each other at GiGi’s Playhouse
Charlotte and her mother, Amy, discuss the impact of GiGi's Playhouse on their lives. Charlotte struggled with making friends and feeling validated before finding GiGi's Playhouse. The organization provided a supportive and accepting environment where Charlotte feels beautiful and loved. Similarly, Steven, who had become isolated and depressed during the...
GiGi’s Playhouse Makes Historic Debut with Super Bowl Program Ad
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 11, 2024 - GiGi's Playhouse, the only network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers, has marked a significant milestone by securing its first-ever advertisement in the prestigious Super Bowl LVIII Program. This groundbreaking achievement not only serves as a testament to the organization's growing visibility and impact...
Why attend GiGi’s Educator Symposium: Teaching Strategies for Individuals with Down Syndrome?
The GiGi’s Educator Symposium is FREE, VIRTUAL and INFORMATIVE! Are you interested in Learning from a team of experienced educators and therapists? Learning strategies for teaching individuals with Down syndrome to implement on Monday? Learning how individuals with Down syndrome learn best? Learning the “why” behind strategies you may already...
What does it mean to be a part of GiGi’s Playhouse?
Video Transcription: Mike Cirigliano: Hi. My name's Mike Cirigliano. I'm president of the board at GiGi's Playhouse Long Island, and my role is to support our board, our participants, and our volunteers the best that I can. GiGi's Playhouse is a center, a destination, a place to me that supports...
GiGi’s was like oxygen for me
Elena and her husband had been trying to become pregnant for nine years. They had almost given up hope when Elena decided to take one last pregnancy test. The test came back positive. Very early in her pregnancy, they were diagnosed with Down syndrome and hydrocephalus (water on the brain),...