PACE Center for Girls of Jacksonville

PACE began in 1985 with one Center in Jacksonville, Florida serving 10 girls. Today PACE includes 19 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

At PACE Center for Girls, we have developed a nationally recognized, research-based non-residential program model that features a balanced emphasis on academics and social services, with a focus on the future for middle and high-school aged girls and young women. The foundation of PACE is our gender-responsive culture where we provide a safe environment that celebrates girls. PACE offers services that take into account how girls learn and develop and our supportive staff members respond to and celebrate each girl’s strengths and challenges. The holistic, strength-based, and asset building PACE program model addresses the needs of girls and has garnered recognition nationally as one of the most effective programs in the country for keeping girls from entering the juvenile justice system