In the early 1980's professionals working in the juvenile court system in Jacksonville, Florida realized that girls involved in delinquent activities were either not being held accountable, being placed in boys' programs, or placed further into the system for their own protection. There were no effective alternatives. In 1985 the PACE concept was developed and implemented by founder Vicki Burke. Guided by the research-based recommendations of the Valentine Foundation, which called for gender responsive programming, PACE created a new alternative to institutionalization or incarceration. PACE designed an effective method to meet the needs of the adolescent at-risk female. The first program was housed in the basement of a downtown Jacksonville church and served 7 girls. Now, 23 years later, PACE's 17 centers and outreach program have served over 19,000 Florida girls.