GiGi's Playhouse Houston

Jennifer Paganessi · Newsletters

GiGi's Playhouse June 2026 newsletter Discover the latest from GiGi's Playhouse, including a powerful message from founder Nancy Gianni on Down syndrome advocacy, the launch of the Dallas/Fort Worth Flagship location, the new GiGiWORKS workforce development program, and the ongoing GiGi's 5K fundraising campaign. Join a growing community of volunteers, donors, and self-advocates working together to provide free life-changing programs for over 35,000 individuals and families across 6… (truncated)

taeyaar · Awareness

At GiGi’s Playhouse, we tend to focus on the positives. We spend most of our time celebrating achievements, building acceptance, and changing the way the world views Down syndrome.  But when misinformation spreads and harmful assumptions about individuals with Down syndrome are amplified to millions of people, silence is not an option.   We’ve heard from families,…

Jennifer Paganessi · Awareness · Playhouse Families

It wasn’t a doctor’s call that told Madisen her daughter might have Down syndrome; it was a text tied to a gender reveal.  At around 12 weeks pregnant, Madisen had completed Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) at her OB-GYN’s recommendation. When the results came in, they weren’t directly communicated to her. Instead, her sister came across them while reviewing paperwork ahead of the planned gender reveal and…

Kahy Davis

Tommorow my daughter Erica will celebrate 16 years of marriage. Erica and Ben met in 2007 at a community social club for special needs. They marred after 3 years of dating and are as much in love as they were at their wedding day. Their love has deepened over these 16 yeas. I can't believe how their love has grown. Just the perfect love story, pure and innocent. "We have a good friendship and she’s beautiful.” - Ben “I love him like the whole world.” - Erica They are the perfect cou… (truncated)

Jennifer Paganessi · Newsletters

GiGi's Playhouse May 2026 newsletter

taeyaar · Achievement · Home page feature

Introduction: Why Early Intervention Matters for Down Syndrome Crawling. Sitting. Walking. Talking. The first few years of life are crucial for all children. They’re not only full of milestones, but children also go through significant developmental changes. For children with Down syndrome, early life can look a little different. Many children with Down syndrome face…

Jennifer Paganessi · Newsletters

GiGi's Playhouse April 2026 newsletter: GiGi's speaking tour, Adidas' adaptive shoe, 5K fundraiser updates, volunteer spotlights, and more.

Deborah Hoggar

My sister is 59 years old, she has been married for 31 years. Miriam has Downs Syndrome and her husband has Learning Disability and Epilepsy. They have lived independently all of their married life in a council flat and both have been in supported employment for over 25 years Miriam now has a diagnosis of dementia, it is having a huge impact on their lives. They need all the external support and resources they can find now but their love for each other is the thing that has been unw… (truncated)

Danielle Cumberbatch

I'm Danielle Cumberbatch nice to meet you all everybody noticed me that help you get the moving awareness of honor with you in Chicago Nancy and Franco Gigi's

Jacqueline Lowe

I first heard of Gigi's Playhouse in my October of Inside Orleans. It appears to be a wonderful approach for children with Downs Syndrome. My granddaughter, Camille, is 15 years old and has attended St. Michael's Special School for the past 5 years, after she previously attended public school in St. Tammany. She is very bright, reads very well, is in the choir at St. Michael's and is very happy there. I wonder if she would be a fit for your playhouse at her present age (she will tur… (truncated)

Donaileen Dondero

I am extremely happy to see that Adult Career Development is on the rise. Many contributors are changing the workplace, and while most are positive, advancing technology is decreasing the number of jobs available to our adults with Down syndrome. We truly need these new programs!

Gerald J Olseski Jr

Thank you for this post. It is so very true. It does not matter, what your disability is or if you do not have one, we are all human beings. We all are going to have our good days and not so good days. It is a fact of life. It would be nice to be happy all the time, but that is not always possible. So when you are down and not feeling your happy self, it is ok not to be ok. Reach out for help when needed. Tell someone, that your not doing well. Communication is the key. Yes, it can… (truncated)

Jennifer E Nyffeler

I think that people have a tendency to label and put people in a certain framework so it is easier for THEM to handle the situation, instead of actually just treating each individual with DS as a person like you and me.

Noelle Guastucci

Thank you so much for this wonderful email! Our family myself, Noelle and my daughter Grace (she my 11 year old with DS), Josh Guastucci her father have been attending Gigi’s Playhouse Center grand opening here in San Diego in 2015. We can’t tell you how appreciative that we are and how much value we get out of coming to activities and networking events. Thank you, Ms. Nancy Gianni for all of your effort, commitment to improving the lives of folks with challenges, such as Down Syndr… (truncated)

Nancy Matis

I have a Grandson with DS… he is the greatest. This all sounds wonderful and so Amazing!

Denise

This is all so very wonderful and inspiring, as a Mom myself to one of the most precious blessings in my life, my daughter born with special needs and challenges, it is a different world unfortunately and often depending on the challenges and community, city, state you live may not have full inclusion yet, let alone understanding the isolation makes this even more needed, with all the opportunities and possibilities of welcoming a different but indeed successful, benefitting and bui… (truncated)