GiGi’s Playhouse Phoenix Free Educational & Therapeutic Programs

GiGi’s Playhouse Phoenix Free Educational & Therapeutic Programs offers activities such as Little Sports, Open Play, and educational programs throughout the week and on the weekends at designated times. The program also offers Literacy Tutoring and Math Tutoring. Families and volunteers may take part in events including an annual Gala, a holiday party, and an annual World Down Syndrome Day celebration.

• Ages: 0–18 years old
• Schedule: Playhouse hours Monday–Thursday 8am–3pm and Friday 8am–Noon, with educational programs offered throughout the week and on weekends at designated times
• Price: All educational, therapeutic, and career development programs are FREE.

GiGi’s Playhouse Phoenix Free Educational & Therapeutic Programs is part of GiGi’s Playhouse, which is the only network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers and includes over 61 brick-and-mortar locations. The mission is to make a lifetime commitment to changing lives and providing hope through the consistent delivery of free educational, therapeutic, and career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community, using a replicable playhouse model. GiGi’s Playhouse provides free, life-changing therapeutic, educational, and career training programs for individuals of all ages and makes a lifetime commitment to families from prenatal diagnosis to career skills. All programs are free, and GiGi’s Playhouse Phoenix is a non-profit organization; GiGi’s Playhouse Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which is in good standing.

Tutors in the program must be 18 years or older. Volunteers can support administrative tasks such as thank you letters, program survey calls, creating books for the literacy program, and database entry, as well as facilities tasks such as changing light bulbs, putting together bookshelves, and changing air filters. Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent who is also willing to volunteer and actively participate in the program, and volunteers age 16 to 18 may volunteer without a parent only after approval by a staff or board member and after having successfully volunteered with their parent. A parent or legal guardian must attend volunteer orientation with any child under 18, must sign the hold harmless agreement before the child can volunteer, and volunteers 18 years and older are subject to a background search.

The GiGi’s Playhouse Phoenix Youth Board is made up of high school students who host events for members of the community, fundraise for GiGi’s Playhouse families, and encourage other high school students to commit to signing and carrying out the Generation G Pledge, which promotes being accepting, generous, and kind. GiGi’s Playhouse does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.

One grandfather shared that he has seen GiGi’s Playhouse treat his grandson and all children who pass through the doors with love, affection, caring, understanding, and teaching with early intervention, and he noted that the organization operates on donations and does not ask or pressure anyone for money who attends classes. A mother of an 18-year-old named Shelby reported that after three weeks of Literacy Tutoring, Shelby picked up books and started reading on her own, and that the tutoring also helped with her speech and vocabulary, and she thanked both the tutor and GiGi’s Playhouse for offering the virtual program. Another family member stated, “I walked out of GiGi's Playhouse smiling, and I feared no more.”

Last updated January 10, 2026.