GiGi's Playhouse Opens Location in Knoxville
August 9, 2026, 8:53 p.m.

KNOXVILLE - /PRNewswire/ -- GiGi's Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers officially welcomed GiGi's Playhouse Knoxville as the 63rd Playhouse in its growing network on Saturday, August 8. The center brings free educational, therapeutic, career-development and social programs to individuals with Down syndrome and their families throughout East Tennessee.

GiGi's Playhouse founder and Chief Belief Officer Nancy Gianni and her daughter and namesake, GiGi Gianni, were onsite to celebrate the milestone and welcome Knoxville into the GiGi's Playhouse family.

The grand opening represents the culmination of years of determination by a group of Knoxville-area parents who came together around a shared vision: to build a place where individuals with Down syndrome would be welcomed, challenged, celebrated and supported throughout every stage of life.

"GiGi's Playhouse Knoxville was built by families who refused to accept that opportunity should depend on a diagnosis or a ZIP code," said Nancy Gianni. "These parents saw what their children deserved and made courageous decisions to create it. We are honored to welcome Knoxville as our 64th Playhouse and to stand beside this community as it changes lives and changes perceptions for generations to come."

The vision for the Knoxville Playhouse began with local families searching for resources, connections, and hope.

Knoxville startup team member Jessica Hoke first experienced GiGi's Playhouse after adopting her son, Ben, from the neonatal intensive care unit. Her family attended the grand opening of GiGi's Playhouse Raleigh and participated in LMNOP, GiGi's signature early-language development program for babies and toddlers.

When the family later moved to Knoxville, Hoke immediately recognized the absence of similar resources.

"We were so thankful to have GiGi's Playhouse during Ben's earliest years," Hoke said. "When we moved, one of the first things my husband and I thought about was bringing a Playhouse to Knoxville. I knew what that support had meant to our family, and I knew families here deserved to have it too."

Through social media and community outreach, Hoke connected with other local parents—including families who had never met one another before but shared the same hopes for their children. Together, they formed the startup team that would make GiGi's Playhouse Knoxville a reality.

For those families, the Playhouse is about far more than opening a building. It is about creating a lifelong home where their children can develop relationships, gain practical skills, pursue meaningful careers, and grow into greater independence.

One Knoxville mother described her greatest hope as knowing her daughter could one day have friends, go to the movies, learn to cook, and live independently if she chooses. Another parent shared that bringing GiGi's Playhouse to Knoxville would help equip her son to build a full and meaningful life—even beyond the years when his parents are able to care for him.

"These families are not placing limits on their children's futures," said GiGi Gianni. "They are creating more opportunities for people with Down syndrome to learn, lead, work, build friendships and show the world everything we can achieve. I am so excited to welcome Knoxville into our GiGi's family."

GiGi's Playhouse Knoxville will offer purposeful, progressive programming designed to support participants from infancy through adulthood. Programs will focus on areas including speech and language development, literacy, math, social development, health and wellness, life skills, and career preparation.

All GiGi's Playhouse programs are provided 100% free of charge to families, regardless of income or insurance status.

The Playhouse will also serve as a community hub where parents can find encouragement and guidance, siblings can build relationships, volunteers can become advocates and community members can learn what true acceptance and inclusion look like in practice.

"My biggest fear after receiving a prenatal diagnosis was that my son was coming into a world that was not made for him," one Knoxville parent shared. "Having GiGi's here means he will have a home, a community and opportunities to develop the skills that will help him know he belongs in this world."

That sense of belonging is central to GiGi's Playhouse mission of changing the way the world views Down syndrome and sending a global message of acceptance for all.

"People with Down syndrome matter," another startup team member said. "They are individuals with feelings, dreams and extraordinary capabilities. When we stop placing limits on them and start setting high expectations, they show us how much they can achieve."

Gigi's Playhouse is located at 255 N. Peters Rd., Suite 102, Knoxville, TN 37923.

To learn more about GiGi's Playhouse Knoxville, volunteer, support its free programs or register for the grand opening celebration, visit gigisplayhouse.org/knoxville.