No GiGi's Playhouse location exists anywhere in Washington state, and two Snohomish County mothers want to change that by bringing the national Down syndrome support organization to Everett. The local effort, led by a team of nine parents, is racing to raise enough money to open the state's first Down Syndrome Achievement Center, with organizers hoping to have it running by 2028.
As reported by KIRO 7, the mothers are leading the push to establish what would be Washington's first GiGi's Playhouse achievement center, with free services open to families across Western Washington. Courtney Criss, one of the organizers, estimates that approximately 700 people with Down syndrome live in Snohomish County alone, underscoring the local need the group hopes to meet. Criss joined ARC Seattle anchors Holly Menino and Patrick Hussion to discuss the effort, according to KOMO, which airs ARC Seattle weekdays from 7 to 8 a.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KUNS, the CW Network.
What a Down Syndrome Achievement Center Would Offer
GiGi's Playhouse describes itself as a volunteer-run organization that offers free therapeutic, educational and research-driven programs to people of all ages with Down syndrome, according to GiGi's Playhouse. Nationally, the network provides free educational and career training programs for more than 30,000 individuals with Down syndrome across more than 60 locations in the United States and Mexico, per KOMO's reporting. No Playhouse currently exists in Washington, which is part of what has driven the Snohomish County team to pursue the designation themselves.
The scale of what organizers are attempting is not small. The group estimates startup costs between $75,000 and $100,000 just to open the doors, and organizers say they would like to have anywhere from $250,000 to $300,000 in an account for operations once the center launches, according to the same KIRO 7 report. The group has been fundraising for about a year toward an immediate goal of $75,000.
Gala Set for Saturday to Boost Fundraising
Organizers are leaning on the gala to help close the fundraising gap. GiGi's Playhouse Everett will hold its First Annual I Have a Voice Gala and Fundraiser on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center, according to the organization's own event page. Proceeds will directly support bringing GiGi's Playhouse to the Everett area and launching free educational, therapeutic, career development and wellness programs for people with Down syndrome and their families.
Organizers hope to complete setup and open the center within one year, though the KOMO report notes the local chapter's team of nine parents is targeting 2028 to have the Everett center running. If successful, the Everett location would become part of the GiGi's Playhouse network.
How Other Communities Have Built Their Own Playhouses
Colorado Springs offers a glimpse of what years of grassroots effort can produce. That community's GiGi's Playhouse opened as the 64th Playhouse in the network's growing roster, with its grand opening held in late September, according to a release distributed via PR Newswire. The release credited a group of Colorado Springs-area parents who came together around a shared vision, echoing the kind of parent-driven push now underway in Everett.
Across the network, the organization's core promise stays consistent: all GiGi's Playhouse programs are provided one hundred percent free of charge to families, regardless of income or insurance status, per the Colorado Springs announcement. In that community, offerings include early-language development, group social programming, fitness classes, cooking instruction, literacy and math tutoring, and adult career skills training. Should the Everett effort succeed, families across Western Washington would gain access to a similar slate of free programming for the first time in state history.
