Pace Center for Girls is a 6-12 education program for at-risk teenage girls, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The nonprofit organization was created in 1985 as an intervention program.

History

Pace Center for Girls was created in 1985 by Vicki Burke. In 2008, the

Annie E. Casey Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) is a charitable foundation focused on improving the well-being of American children according to their ideals. The AECF is one of the dominant organizations in child welfare issues in the U.S., and one of th ...

called Pace "the most effective program in the United States for keeping adolescent girls out of the juvenile justice system." As of 2016, PACE Center for Girls had 19 locations in Florida with a plan to open another location in Georgia. As of 2020, more than 40,000 girls have been served. The

, Children's Defense Fund, National Mental Health Association, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recognize the Pace Center for Girls as a "national model for reducing recidivism and improving school success, employment and self-sufficiency amongst girls."

Teaching philosophy

Pace Center for Girls uses a gender-specific model. According to CEO Mary Marx, whereas boys become outwardly aggressive when affected by trauma, girls tend to be self-destructive and inwardly aggressive. The organization recognizes that a girl's pathway into the justice system often includes a history of

abuse Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

, academic failure, and harmful relationships; "PACE is recognized as a national leader in preventing at-risk girls from entering the juvenile justice system". Of the girls in the program in 2015: "31 percent had a history of abuse in the home, 42 percent had a parent or sibling in prison, and 44 percent had moved three or more times in the last five years." Common issues among students are teen pregnancy,

mental health disorders The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition'' (DSM-5), is the 2013 update to the '' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatri ...

, juvenile records and self-mutilation. While a pupil at PACE, students go through life skills classes, focusing on positive decision-making. Each girl is also assigned a counselor, who performs home visits monthly.

Services provided

Pace Center for Girls provides services including nurse case management, family planning, and women's health exams.

Locations

PACE Alachua-

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

PACE Broward- Wilton Manors, Florida PACE Clay-

Orange Park, Florida Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of Jacksonville, in neighboring Duval County. The population was 8,412 at the 2010 census. The name "Orange Park" is additionally applied to a wider area of northern ...

PACE Collier at Immokalee- Immokalee, Florida PACE Escambia Santa Rosa-

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

PACE Hernando- Spring Hill, Florida PACE Hillsborough- Tampa, Florida PACE Jacksonville- Jacksonville, Florida PACE Lee-

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

PACE Leon- Tallahassee, Florida PACE Manatee-

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

PACE Marion-

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

PACE Miami- Miami, Florida PACE Orange- Winter Park, Florida PACE Palm Beach- West Palm Beach, Florida PACE Pasco- New Port Richey, Florida PACE Pinellas- Pinellas Park, Florida PACE Polk- Lakeland, Florida PACE Treasure Coast- Fort Pierce, Florida PACE Volusia-Flagler- Ormond Beach, Florida

Values and principles

Pace Center for Girls' celebrates young women through their nine values and principles of honoring the female spirit, focusing on strengths, acting with integrity and positive intent, embracing growth and change, valuing the wisdom of time, exhibiting courage, seeking excellence, creating partnerships, and investing in the future.

References

External links

{{official website, http://www.pacecenter.org/ Educational institutions established in 1985 Girls' schools in Florida 1985 establishments in Florida