Pace Center for Girls

OUR MISSION

PACE provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training and advocacy.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

PACE values all girls and young women, believing each one deserves an opportunity to find her voice, achieve her potential and celebrate a life defined by responsibility, dignity, serenity and grace.

THE HISTORY OF PACE

PACE began in 1985 with one Center in Jacksonville, Florida serving 10 girls.  Today PACE includes 20 Centers throughout Florida that serve over 2,000 girls each year and PACE has changed the life trajectory of over 37,000 girls since its inception. PACE began as a community response to the realization that girls involved with the justice system were either being placed in programs designed for boys or placed further into the system for their own protection.  There were no effective alternatives.  Started by Vicki Burke and guided by the research-based recommendations which called for gender responsive programming, PACE created a new alternative to institutionalization or incarceration for girls.

PACE is now recognized as a national model for reducing recidivism and improving school success, employment and self-sufficiency amongst girls by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children's Defense Fund, National Mental Health Association, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Assessment, Goal Setting and Ongoing Progress Monitoring

Through a variety of assessments, girls’ strengths as well as opportunities for growth, are identified.

Girls are assisted with setting goals for improvement, provided individualized monitoring a minimum of every other week and supported through the process of change.

Academic Education

Each girl is provided an individualized academic plan, including remediation where necessary.  Certified teachers instruct the girls using the state and district guidelines and mandates.

Spirited Girls!™

Girls are able to learn about life and positive choices from a woman’s lense, through our gender-specific curriculum, Spirited Girls!  This course is designed to empower girls and equip them with the skills necessary to manage their lives successfully.

Community Service

Giving to others helps girls develop a sense of pride and connectedness to members of our community.

Career Preparation

Career assessments, career exploration and goal setting help girls envision and prepare for their future as independent self-sufficient adults.

Case Management

Ongoing case management for girls and their families, connecting them with local resources and services.

Counseling

Girls and their counselors work together to develop individualized goals that are designed to help them heal, grow and change. Through individual and group counseling, each girl is given the tools to successfully respond to the obstacles present in her life. 

Parental Involvement

Parents are encouraged to participate in monthly family meetings, family breakfast and family night.

Transition Services

Once they transition from PACE to go back to their home school, higher education or the workforce girls are provided services and support for a minimum of a year.