Celebrating Little Wins, Creating Big Outcomes with GiGi’s Support
Mateo, a seven-year-old participant at GiGi’s Playhouse Long Island, is making incredible progress toward his learning goals. He recently had a banner day with his literacy tutor, Kaylee—arriving eager, excited, and ready to learn!
That enthusiasm shone through as Mateo worked on the letters Tt and Vv, mastering their sounds and writing them with accuracy.
Next, Mateo read one of the Biscuit books by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Pat Schories. The Biscuit series follows a lovable yellow puppy through simple stories that gradually increase in reading difficulty—helping young readers build confidence step by step. Mateo read one of these stories aloud to Kaylee, demonstrating just how far he’s come.
As a second grader, continued growth is essential, and this session showed just how much his hard work is paying off. Kaylee shared that it was some of Mateo’s best reading yet—and to top it off, he even got a visit from Biscuit himself (the stuffed animal version, of course!).
Mateo has been attending GiGi’s Playhouse since the age of five, and his progress has been remarkable. His mom shared:
“Mateo looks forward to coming to GiGi’s now more than ever! He’s shown so much growth working with Kaylee, and we are so grateful!”
Mateo’s story is one of many at GiGi’s Playhouse, where individuals participate in free literacy and math tutoring, along with therapeutic, educational, and fun programs each week.
As a completely nonprofit organization, GiGi’s Playhouse relies on donations to keep these programs free and accessible. One way to make a lasting impact is by becoming a 321 Champion.
The 321 Champion Campaign invites supporters to give a one-time donation of $252 or $21 a month for a year. The number 321 holds special significance: individuals with Down syndrome have a third copy of their 21st chromosome—3.21.
By becoming a 321 Champion, you’re helping ensure that participants like Mateo can continue learning, growing, and achieving little wins that lead to big outcomes.
