Expansion plans are underway to operate PACE centers in all 15 juvenile justice districts in Florida by the end of 1998. PACE aims to improve the lives of girls at risk of delinquency by enabling them to further their education and become productive citizens. Education is considered the key to helping girls develop self-esteem, envision a positive future for themselves, and overcome life challenges and family dysfunction. The majority of PACE staff members are female, although each site typically employs at least one man. Staff members at each center tend to reflect the local community's ethnic composition.
New staff spend two weeks in training, often in the form of job shadowing.
During their first year, employees must participate in 120 hours of training. Inservice training is ongoing and provided at least monthly. Gender-specific topics make up about 60 percent of staff training, and even general topics are presented with special emphasis on how they relate to adolescent girls. An open referral procedure means that girls can be referred to PACE by juvenile court, family members, teachers, or others. They must meet minimum criteria to be considered, and most centers have long waiting lists.