PACE Center for Girls, Inc. is a non-residential delinquency prevention provider operating 17 locations statewide.  At the Hillsborough PACE Center we target the unique needs of females aged 11-19 who are identified as dependent, truant, runaway, ungovernable, delinquent or in need of academic skills.  PACE provides the following services: academic education, individual attention, a gender-responsive life management curriculum (Spirited Girls!), therapeutic support services, parental involvement, student volunteer service projects and transition follow-up services.

Every girl at PACE sets individual education and social goals that are focused on earning a high school diploma or GED, re-entering public school, attending college, getting vocational training, joining the military or entering the private workforce.   After program completion, PACE continues to monitor each girl’s educational and personal development with three years of follow-up case management.

Currently...

• 105 girls served in 2007-2008
• 15.9 years old average age
• 74% live in neighborhoods with higher than average crime rates
• 7% reported physical, emotional or sexual abuse prior to coming to PACE
• 24% used drugs and alcohol prior to coming to PACE

2007 - 2008 outcomes

• 92% had no involvement with Juvenile Justice within a year of leaving PACE
• 65% were placed in appropriate educational settings after leaving PACE
• 79% improved their academic performance
• 85% were in school or employed three years after leaving PACE