GiGi's Playhouse Buffalo

GiGi's Playhouse Buffalo Our Mission and Purpose:
To change the way the world views Down syndrome and to send a global message of acceptance for all.

Through free programs and through our Generation G Campaign for global acceptance, we EMPOWER families by maximizing opportunities for daily achievement and lasting acceptance. Our Vision:
To see a world where individuals with Down syndrome are accepted and embraced in their families, schools and communities. Our Niche:
We change lives through consistent delivery of free educational, therapeutic-based and career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the community, through a replicable playhouse model. Our Promise:
A lifetime commitment to families.

Literacy and reading skills help lay the foundation for living an independent life.​While individuals with Down syndrome...
11/24/2025

Literacy and reading skills help lay the foundation for living an independent life.​

While individuals with Down syndrome face inherent challenges when it comes to reading, our 1:1 Literacy Tutoring Program helps them overcome these challenges!​

But we need your help! On average, we can only match 50% of our participants because we don't have enough tutors, but you can help change this!​

As a tutor, you can help someone reach their full potential!​

And we make tutoring simple—just commit to as little as one hour a week, and we’ll work around your schedule!​

There are only 5 weeks left before tutor applications close for our Spring session. Apply now! Learn more here: http://ow.ly/Q72X106qH2P

My Cause My Cleats Spotlight! We are beyond honored that Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Tyrell Shavers has chosen GiGi’s P...
11/20/2025

My Cause My Cleats Spotlight! We are beyond honored that Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Tyrell Shavers has chosen GiGi’s Playhouse Buffalo as his cause for this year’s NFL My Cause My Cleats game, for tonight’s game! 🦬 💙

Tyrell’s custom cleats proudly showcase the GiGi’s logo, helping raise awareness for our mission of changing the way the world views Down syndrome and supporting individuals of all ages to achieve their greatest potential. His support shines a powerful spotlight on inclusion, acceptance, and the incredible abilities within our community.

Thank you, Tyrell, for representing us on and off the field. Your kindness, visibility, and advocacy mean the world to our participants, families, and team. We are cheering you on every step of the way! 👟❤️🏈 - From all of us here at GiGi's Playhouse of Buffalo, thank you!lo

Our 1:1 Literacy and Math tutors change lives! ​But what does it take to be a tutor? If you are willing to teach for 1 h...
11/17/2025

Our 1:1 Literacy and Math tutors change lives! ​

But what does it take to be a tutor? If you are willing to teach for 1 hour a week, you can make an incredible impact on one of our participants. It's THAT simple! ​

At GiGi's, we provide the training you need to ensure you can make an impact as a tutor, and we'll work around your schedule.​

Applications are open now. Apply to become a tutor for our Spring session here: https://gigisplayhouse.org/buffalo/volunteer/ Sign up now!

It’s game time at GiGi’s Playhouse! Join us this Thursday, November 20th from 5–7 PM for our Buffalo Bills Tailgate Part...
11/17/2025

It’s game time at GiGi’s Playhouse! Join us this Thursday, November 20th from 5–7 PM for our Buffalo Bills Tailgate Party! We’ll have pizza, drinks, crafts, and games plus lots of Bills spirit! 🏈

Our friends from the UB Dental School will be joining in the fun too, so come ready to cheer, create, and celebrate all things Buffalo! 🦬

👉 Register here: https://ow.ly/qE1N50Xsvik

This week, the Jacob's School of Medicine students who run our Adult Programming on Wednesdays brought their HeartSmart ...
11/14/2025

This week, the Jacob's School of Medicine students who run our Adult Programming on Wednesdays brought their HeartSmart program with them to the playhouse. Our participants learned about blood, listened to their hearts and lungs, looked at chest x-rays and were able to see/touch real hearts and lungs. 🫁 A big thank-you to these incredible students for making science hands-on, fun, and full of heart.♥️

11/12/2025

👏 Congratulations, Emily! Be sure to watch her inspiring acceptance speech for the Generation G Award, at the '2025 GiGi’s Annual Leadership Conference' in Chicago. Way to go, Emily. Well deserved!

A big Happy Birthday to the man behind the media, Michael Ferris! Thank you for leading our marketing efforts and captur...
11/12/2025

A big Happy Birthday to the man behind the media, Michael Ferris! Thank you for leading our marketing efforts and capturing our events with such creativity. We love you!

A huge congratulations to our Executive Director, Emily Mondschein! 🌟 Emily recently traveled from Buffalo to Chicago fo...
11/11/2025

A huge congratulations to our Executive Director, Emily Mondschein! 🌟 Emily recently traveled from Buffalo to Chicago for the 2025 GiGi’s Annual Leadership Conference, where she was honored with the Generation G Award; a national recognition given to those who lead with acceptance, generosity, and kindness while changing the world’s view of Down syndrome.

Emily had the pleasure of spending time with Gigi Gianni (the namesake herself!), her boyfriend Lucas, and GiGi’s amazing mom, Nancy Gianni.

Emily represented GiGi’s Playhouse Buffalo with heart, humility, and pride. We couldn’t be more proud of her leadership, her compassion, and her unwavering commitment to our community. 💚

Learn more about the conference here: https://ow.ly/fA6550Xqfi1

That’s a wrap on The 2nd Annual GiGi’s Christmas: 'The First Holiday Party of the Year! ✨🎄We’re closing out this magical...
11/10/2025

That’s a wrap on The 2nd Annual GiGi’s Christmas: 'The First Holiday Party of the Year! ✨🎄We’re closing out this magical event with one last look at the joy, laughter, and holiday spirit that filled the room. None of it would have been possible without our incredible volunteers and Gala Committee, whose hard work and heart made every detail shine. 💖

A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, donors, and community for your generous support. Your kindness helps us continue to spread GiGi’s mission of acceptance and achievement for all!

Together, we made this night truly unforgettable. 💫 From all of us at GiGi's Playhouse, thank you as always! ❤️

We can't believe it's already been 1 week since our 2nd Annual GiGi’s Christmas: 'The First Holiday Party of the Year'! ...
11/09/2025

We can't believe it's already been 1 week since our 2nd Annual GiGi’s Christmas: 'The First Holiday Party of the Year'! It was wonderful to see the community come together. We thank all those again that helped out and supported us. We hope you've enjoyed seeing all the photos so far from this week. Please enjoy some more beautiful moments that were captured ❤️🎉 More to come soon.

Way to go John & Jillian! We are very thankful to all the amazing UB graduate clinicians who have been helping out with ...
11/08/2025

Way to go John & Jillian! We are very thankful to all the amazing UB graduate clinicians who have been helping out with the Amina Grace Speech and Language Program here at GiGi’s Playhouse. We have seen such great improvement in all our young adults and kiddos. Our classes are Mondays and Wednesdays, with a total of 8 clinicians that help out. 🫶

The UB clinicians currently have 2 more weeks left. Speech classes will pick back up again in the spring (beginning of February).

As we spend the next few days sharing the last of the photos from our, 2nd Annual GiGi’s Christmas: 'The First Holiday P...
11/08/2025

As we spend the next few days sharing the last of the photos from our, 2nd Annual GiGi’s Christmas: 'The First Holiday Party of the Year', we want to say thank you once again to everyone who came out and supported us, including U.S. Congressman Tim Kennedy and Assembly Member Karen McMahon. We would like to give an especially gracious thank you to all of our generous donors and sponsors:✨🍷

1. GEICO
2. Nowak Industrial
3. Bison Electrical
4. 7ABC WKBW
5. Western New York Pediatrics
6. TIVERON LAW PLLC
7. WNY ASSETT MANAGEMENT
8. NEW ERA
9. KeyBank
10. The KASPRZYK Family
11. West Herr New York
12. Lamparelli Construction
13. Aquino Family Foundation
14. dspgwny
15. Cellino
16. EBERL IRON WORKS
17. World Wide Technology
18. Person Centered Services
19. Sahlen Field

Address

326 Kenmore Avenue
Buffalo, NY
14223

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 2pm
Tuesday 12pm - 6pm
Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 3pm

Telephone

+17163220010

Website

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Our Story

What started as a local playhouse in a suburb of Chicago has turned into an international phenomenon, spreading awareness and inspiration to everyone it touches. GiGi’s Playhouses are Down syndrome awareness and educational centers that provide resources, specialized teaching, and support to individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the community.

GiGi’s Playhouse centers evolved into educational centers with a focus on national awareness for Down syndrome and achievement for individuals of all ages. All of our programs are free to our families and are therapeutic in nature. Each of them are designed to work on specific skill development in several areas including speech and language, social development, and fine and gross motor skills. Our literacy program alone teaches thousands of kids with Down syndrome to read around the nation! Our math program has proven to be as powerful as our literacy program with a 100% improvement rate in all kids tested!

GiGi’s is committed to the important mission of spreading positive and accurate information about Down syndrome through education. We know that by helping individuals with Down syndrome reach their highest potential, we can change outdated perceptions that people may have. The end result is a world that is empowered with knowledge, compassion, and inspiration – what a better place for all of us!