PACE Center for Girls

Description

Pace Center for Girls is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation that provides a non-residential delinquency prevention program, targeting the unique needs of females 12 to 18 who are identified as dependent, truant, runaway, delinquent, or in need of academic skills. PACE (Practical Academic Cultural Education) accepts referrals from the juvenile justice system, the Department of Children and Families, school personnel, community services agencies, parents, family members, friends and self-referrals. Its purpose is to intervene and prevent school withdrawal, juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy, substance abuse and welfare dependency in a safe and nurturing environment.

Pace began in 1985 with one Center in Jacksonville, Florida serving 10 girls. Today, Pace includes 21 Centers throughout Florida that serve over 3,000 girls each year and Pace has changed the life trajectory of over 40,000 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. Guided by research-based recommendations which called for gender responsive programming, Pace created a new alternative to institutionalization or incarceration for girls.

Pace Lee County transforms the lives of 100 girls each year.