Posts by aflores

At GiGi’s Playhouse Hoffman Estates, we celebrate every milestone—big or small—because we know each step represents growth, confidence, and opportunity. Recently, Zac achieved an exciting milestone on his journey toward independence, and we couldn’t be prouder. For the very first time, Zac took an Uber all on his own to attend his Career Program at…

At GiGi’s Playhouse, we know that every family is unique—and every child learns best when they feel supported, celebrated, and included. That’s why we are proud to offer LMNOP (Language, Music, N’ Our Peeps) in Spanish, a program that brings babies and toddlers with Down syndrome and their families together through music, movement, and community.…

Are you ready to groove and get fit? Well, Sabrina and Rachel certainly are! These dedicated volunteers have generously committed their Wednesday evenings to spearhead our exciting new program—Adult Dance! Let’s get to know the dynamic duo bringing the rhythm to GiGi’s Playhouse Hoffman Estates.  Sabrina, a seasoned veteran of the Playhouse, brings a wealth…

If you’ve been to Hugs & Mugs in the last few years, chances are you’ve met Mitchell. Mitchell has been coming to GiGi’s Playhouse since the very beginning, aka almost 20 years! Like all of our interns, Mitchell made his way through the career programs, starting off in GiGi Prep, then graduating GiGiU. Besides Hugs…

A Mother’s Story When I was pregnant with Nicole, I did not know that I was going to have a child born with Down syndrome. After she was born, the doctor came into my room and said, “You have a Mongoloid.” I said, “What? A Mongoloid?” And he said, “Yes.” He did not say “Down…

We are so excited to welcome Jackie to the Hoffman Estates playhouse as a summer intern focusing on Social Media. If you see Jackie around the playhouse and in programs give her a warm welcome! “Hello! I am a student studying Digital Marketing at DePaul University in Chicago and am very excited to be a…

“Carolyn has made great strides in speech. I have been seeing her for a few months. We’re working on expanding sentence length – to do this, it really works to engage Carolyn in tasks that challenge her cognitively, as her receptive language is very strong. Carolyn loves a good challenge! We work on “language puzzles”…

If you’ve been to GiGi’s Playhouse, specifically Hugs & Mugs, chances are you’ve met our intern, Liz. While we all know her great smile and infectious laugh, but how much do we really know her? We spoke to Liz and her mom, Beth, to talk about Liz’s experience at GiGi’s, interning at Hugs & Mugs,…

Jessica joins us for her internship from Aurora University. She has been helping in the Career Programs such as Hugs & Mugs, GiGi Prep, and most recently GiGiU. Jessica has been with GiGi’s since August 2022 and will be with us until May 2023.   While volunteering in Hugs & Mugs, Jessica spends her time 1:1…