education
GiGi’s Playhouse Hoffman Estates kicks off Down Syndrome Awareness Month!
GiGi’s Playhouse kicks off Down Syndrome Awareness month at Timothy Christian School for the month of October! GiGi’s Playhouse Hoffman Estates was invited by Timothy Christian School to speak about GiGi’s Playhouse and Down syndrome. GiGi Professionals Harry Fisher and Aubrey Soukup spoke to over a hundred students and staff about their accomplishments throughout their…
Read MoreCommunity moves together for ACCEPTANCE!
The sun and smiles were shining on June 5th, 2021 when our community came together to celebrate our GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge. This was the first time in over a year that GiGi’s had seen some of our participants and their families. From tossing the football with the retired football players of Chicago to hot shot…
Read MoreMeet our new Volunteer Rachel!
We are excited to introduce our new Destination Discovery leader and math tutor Rachel Wartell! Rachael will be entering her junior year of college at the University Of Illinois. Her major is special education and minoring in communication. In her free time Rachel enjoys going to the beach, making s’mores at a bonfire, and spending…
Read MoreDetermination and Hard Work: GiGi Career Development Spring Session Celebrates!
Last month we celebrated our virtual career training programs, GiGi Unniversity, GiGi Prep, and GiGi Professional, with a virtual completion ceremony. Students celebrated their accomplishments throughout the Spring Session with interns from Aurora University. Our Students from the E.P.I.C program (Empowered, Participation, Independence, and Community) really enjoyed their Speech sessions with Dr. Jay and doing…
Read MoreTogether we will reach the top!
Eddie and Caiden are perfect examples of living out GiGi’s Playhouse Core Values. Enthusiastic. Best of All. Get It Done. Believe. In Middle and High School Eddie was in special education classes himself. As a student, Eddie often felt limited and never felt challenged. He pushed himself and set high expectations for himself. Now a…
Read MoreLucy is my “WHY” and Will Forever Be!
Getting a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome is scary. Most obstetricians do not present this diagnosis in a very positive light; my experience was like they were breaking devastating news to me. My husband and I were left feeling frightened, uneducated, and alone. I started to research support groups and immediately found GiGi’s Playhouse. From…
Read MoreTogether We Can Do Great Things!
Gina is a senior in the Social Work program at Aurora University. She is recently making the transition from interning at GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley to our Hoffman Estates location! Gina chose GiGi’s Playhouse because she thought the overall goal and purpose was absolutely amazing. She has always wanted to be a part of something…
Read MoreWhat a Blessing to be back!
“What a Blessing it is to be back in the Playhouse” mom Alicia Fox commented after her son Van’s first GiGiFIT Toddler class. February 5th we safely launched In -Person programs back in the Playhouse. Families were excited to attend their favorite programs such as Destination Discovery, GiGiFIT Toddler, GiGiFIT Kids, and LMNOP. “Dominic is…
Read MoreLove and Literacy
Marcia Sterenberg knew how important GiGi’s was to Jeremy and their family. She often commented that she thought GiGi’s was an integral part of Jeremy’s achievement and helping him reach his goals and potential. She loved the motto of GiGi’s Playhouse: Educate. Inspire. Believe. Marcia, a retired teacher, believed that literacy was very important in…
Read MoreGiGi’s is magic!
Hello, my name is Erin Komacki. I have two awesome daughters. Sarah Kate is 9 and Hope who is 6 and has Down syndrome. As a parent of a child with Down syndrome and also an educator myself, I cannot put into words how hard a pandemic can be on our children and Down syndrome community. But…
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