Achievement
Changing the conversation: GiGi’s Playhouse educates and advocates
Sometimes, the smallest interactions spark the most meaningful change. Last month, Fox News published a heartwarming article about the joys and challenges of raising a child with Down syndrome. The piece was uplifting and inspiring — exactly the kind of representation the Down syndrome community deserves. But there was a slight problem. The article’s headline…
Read MoreA New Chapter in Acceptance: ‘GiGi’s Journey’
Books are powerful tools; after all, they can transport readers to magical, mythical lands that exist solely within the pages of the story. But stories don’t just send readers to fictitious places. Fiction and nonfiction books alike can help readers understand real places, people, and topics. And sometimes, stories can do both — send readers…
Read MoreMYTHBUSTING: Can People with Down Syndrome Vote?
(“Myth-busting” is a new multi-part blog series where we tackle all things Down syndrome: misconceptions, half-truths, and fabrications. We’re setting the record straight, once and for all.) “Rock the vote.” “Let your voice be heard.” Your vote matters.” As Americans, we’ve all heard these sayings again and again, especially during election years. Voting allows us…
Read MoreFrom Diagnosis to Joy: Celebrating Down Syndrome
Being a parent to a newborn is one of life’s greatest gifts. But it can also be daunting. While parents are overjoyed by the arrival of this amazing new life, they also want to know that their child will have a bright future. This concern is amplified for parents of newborns with Down syndrome, who…
Read MoreThe 60th Playhouse: GiGi’s Playhouse – Simi Valley Opens its Doors
It started as a dream. Four years ago, three months into a global pandemic, Kirsten Riddick and Cara Armstrong, two mothers of children with Down syndrome, came together. Their idea was simple: create a social group for their children with Down syndrome, ideally close to their homes in Simi Valley, CA. What followed next is…
Read MoreGOING FOR GOLD – World’s Fastest Man’s Message Relevant to Individuals with DS
If you tuned into the Olympics on Sunday, you witnessed something that directly relates to the mission of GiGi’s Playhouse. …Yes, you read that right. Though we are Down Syndrome Achievement Centers, and we absolutely love the Special Olympics, the plight and obstacles individuals with Down syndrome face aren’t simply relegated to the Special Olympics…
Read MoreTatiana’s story: Celebrating Isaiah
**This story was submitted via our #MyDsStory submissions Written by our guest writer, Tatiana Desiree Mendez My name is Tatiana, and I’m the mother of Isaiah who is 6 years old. We found out about the Trisomy 21 diagnosis when I was 11 weeks pregnant. When Isaiah was born, he was also born with everted…
Read MoreJune is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month
Alzheimer’s is scary. We all know that. Though there’s so much awareness surrounding Alzheimer’s, there’s still many misconceptions about the disease. When people picture Alzheimer’s, the image of an elderly person comes to mind, but age is not the only link to Alzheimer’s. Far from it. Despite being excluded from the narrative, individuals with Down…
Read MoreContinued Learning for All with GiGi’s Summer Programming
The Summertime: often associated with sun, sand and so much fun, but also a time where those amazing educational milestones reached during the school year can take a turn towards regression. GiGi’s Playhouse programming can help with that!!!! Over the Summer, our network of Playhouses are hard at work providing FREE, educational and therapeutic programming…
Read MoreGiGiFIT 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 want to instill healthy habits…
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