Building Strong Bodies, Strong Communities Through MOVEment

GiGi’s Playhouse has launched the GiGi Fit Acceptance Challenge – a MOVEment to inspire everyone to be physically and socially active. Our goal is to prove that every person should be accepted for who they are.    We’re excited to shine the spotlight on a Colorado resident who’s been an active fitness enthusiast, and advocate for Down syndrome acceptance since the day she was born.  Here is a bit of our interview...

A Chance to Get it Right

Ask any grandparent and they will tell you, there is no love like the love for a grandchild.  It’s true.  I love all three of my grandchildren with that indescribable grandparent love. But when a child is born with special needs, as Alden was born with Down syndrome, a grandparent’s concern and...

Diversity, Humanity, Inclusion, and Authenticity

I am a Fort Collins kid, born and raised. I grew up loving camping and the outdoors. I grew up with a “typical” family and went to a very small school where everyone looked like me and had the same families. I didn’t realize things outside my bubble were any...
PlayDoh

National Playdoh Day is September 15th!

Play doh is a tool that has many benefits for individuals of all ages – some of which include building cognitive skills, encouraging individuals to use both hands together, and increasing overall hand strength. In addition, it also provides the opportunity for sensory exploration. Below is a list of ideas...

The Incredible Izzy

This is Izzy.  She loves playing with her siblings, watching Elmo, and riding horses. “Izzy lives in Littleton. This bubbly little blue-eyed, brown-haired beauty recently took her first steps and is now a proud walker. She is changing the world one giggle and smile at a time. This little girl...
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Down Syndrome in a COVID-19 World

Don’t high-five, don’t shake hands, don’t touch anything. Don’t travel, don’t leave the house unless you have to, and definitely don’t hug. We have all been bombarded with a list of do’s and don’ts during the COVID-19 pandemic. So it’s fairly common knowledge what we should and shouldn’t be doing...

Francesca’s At HOME LIVE Experience

Francesca, in my opinion, has given her “Best of All” from the day she was born, although I suppose that is a story for another time, so how could we expect anything less from ourselves? All of Francesca's in-home therapists stopped seeing her in March while they figured out teletherapy....

Local Family Participates in LIVE GiGi’s Music Class

In-person programming may not be happening at GiGi’s Playhouses around the country, but individuals with Down syndrome can still benefit from an amazing array of virtual LIVE and On Demand programs from home! This week, we participated in a live GiGi’s Music (5-17 yr olds) class. The class was run...

Generation G’s Step to Accept

The GiGi’s Playhouse network of locations and startups was hit hard with the cancellations and events due to COVID-19. So, in typical GiGi’s style, we are going to come back with the biggest event EVER! We would like to introduce GiGi’s Virtual Step to Accept Across America! You can participate...

Our New Normal

Our ‘new normal’ continues to shift each day lately with new developments to children’s remote learning programs, capricious spring weather, additions of gloves or masks to our regular wardrobe as well as local and national news feeds.  Many of these changes bring uncertainty into our minds and homes.  One thing...

GiGi’s Playhouse Virtual Programming

Hey Colorado, Despite all that is happening on a national and local level regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, we want you to know that we are not halting our efforts to bring a GiGi’s Playhouse to our community. Now, more than ever, we are committed and motivated to bringing our services...
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Why GiGi’s? | Francyne

My name is Francyne. I am the mother to my sweet girl Ezrah Noel. I learned of her diagnosis only a couple of hours after I met her.  She came to us through the greatest gift of adoption. I picked her up from the hospital 2 weeks after she was...