Playhouse Families
Parent Profile: Amelia Ramirez on Motherhood and the Blessings of Down Syndrome
Motherhood speaks to the core of what it means to be alive. Just spending three minutes alone with a toddler, can cause a mother to experience a complete range of human emotions including happiness, love, fear, stress, anxiety, sadness, wonder, and utter panic! We interviewed GiGi’s Playhouse mom, Amelia Ramirez, to get her thoughts on…
Read MoreA Black Mother’s Journey with a Son with Down Syndrome
A Black Mother’s Journey with a Son with Down Syndrome Meet Meeka Caldwell and her son, Anian. Meeka is a wife, mother, author, and dedicated advocate in the Down syndrome community. Anian is a curious 6 year old who loves people and loves to help others. He is a problem solver, has a great…
Read MoreNEW! Spanish Programs for GiGi’s At Home
Spanish Programs now available for GiGi’s At Home! At GiGi’s Playhouse, we see potential, ability, and possibility. So, when COVID-19 hit, strategies were sought and adjustments were quickly made to continue serving our participants virtually. We are happy to share that we recently launched GiGi’s At Home on demand programming in Spanish. The educational programs…
Read MoreAcceptance starts with a smile
Today we are welcoming GiGi’s Playhouse Syracuse mom, Beth, to our blog today to share some simple yet powerful encouragement. Dear My fellow Moms and Dads, I believe that we all want the same thing when it comes to our precious children. Whether we breastfeed or bottle-feed, home school, put them on that scary yellow…
Read MoreEternally Grateful
Today we have the treat of guest poster Nikki, big sister to Brett. There is truly nothing like the sibling bond. Learning and growing together. My brother Brett is one of the brightest lights in my life. He came into this world 26 years ago and as a 6-year-old girl, I wasn’t sure what to expect…
Read MoreTo my Sofia On Her First Day …
First days of school are starting, with that comes feelings of excitement, hope, fears, nerves and a new push to advocate, change the way children with disabilities are seen in all parts of their communities! GiGi’s wants to wish you ALL an amazing school year and we will want to see and hear from you.…
Read MoreWhat are Paired Progressions & how do they promote Best of All?
Being a part of an international network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers has its perks! One of those perks being that we have brilliant minds within the network that are constantly researching, advocating, enhancing programs and more. One of the latest updates to our purposeful programs are Paired Progressions! We have always used Purposeful Progressions,…
Read MoreWelcome to the family!
Welcoming new families to the GiGi’s family is simply one of the very best things! Being about to say congratulations! Today we are excited to share one mom’s story of what GiGi’s Playhouse means to her family, the right now and the future. GiGi’s is with you from prenatal diagnosis all the way through adulthood!…
Read MoreTwo Life Changing Words | Down syndrome
Down syndrome. Two life-changing words. Two mysterious words that can bring on a myriad of emotions. On August 19, 2004, Nathan Mark Hornbuckle came into this world. A quiet, beautiful soul with a deep almond-eyed gaze that melted hearts around him. Little did we know the impact he was here to make. When Nathan’s…
Read MoreThe GiGi’s Impact | A Chance to Shine
One of our very favorite things at the National Playhouse is to learn about all of the lives being impacted by the GiGi’s mission. Everyday their ar3 35 (and growing) locations with an army of volunteers, participants, friends and families living out all that makes the GiGi’s family so amazing. Today we want to share…
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