A Warm and Welcome First Visit to GiGi’s

You know, some people who drive by GiGi’s Playhouse get the idea that it’s a photography studio because of the beautiful bigger-than-life photos of smiling people that fill the windows. Some think that it’s a childcare center due to our name or the playful logo that appears above the front door. Some that know that it’s an achievement center for people with Down syndrome think that our programs are just for children. (Most of our programming is, in fact, for older teens and adults.) But that’s not to say we don’t see lots of children here. Earlier this week, in fact, a very special two-and-a-half-year-old young girl with Down syndrome surprised us with her first trip to the Playhouse.

A morning appointment made me a bit late, and I arrived at the Playhouse a few minutes after 10 a.m. The toddler was being held by a woman and the two were waiting on the sidewalk outside our facility. They had come for “Open Play”, which was on the calendar for 10 to 12 noon. I apologized for making them wait and unlocked the Playhouse and opened the door. I didn’t recognize either of them, and asked if they’d been to GiGi’s before. They hadn’t. The woman told me that she was in the process of being approved as the child’s foster mom. She was aware of GiGi’s but had no reason to stop in to check us out until now. She found our website and was eager to come and see what we were all about.

As we stepped inside, I was surprised that the toddler didn’t make a beeline for the indoor playground. Instead, she stretched open her arms – an invitation for me to pick her up. My heart immediately melted, and I obliged. “My precious granddaughter doesn’t even do that”, I thought. I walked them both into the Playhouse and gave them a tour of all the kid-friendly parts of the Playhouse.

I told the woman that we were here for them any time they wanted, and told her about LMNOP (Language, Music ‘N Our Peeps), an interactive and engaging program designed to guide parents and young children through learning basic sign language and other forms of communication while using music and language-based activities. The mom loved the sound of that and is eager to bring the child back for that program. I set the young girl down and she alternated between playing and wanting to be picked up by me. The stayed for a short time before leaving, happy to have visited.

You know from my numerous blogs how much I love this place, my job as Executive Director and every one of the participants that I’ve come to know. Well, you can add this adorable little girl to that list. And it’s so heartening to know that she’ll grow to love this place, too. (I am not allowed to share her photo or name for reasons I’m sure you understand.)

I want to remind all of you that you’re welcome to come and look at this marvelous place anytime, too. I certainly don’t want to keep this place to myself!

John Claes
jclaes@gigisplayhouse.org