PACE seems to prioritize admitting as many students on the wait list as possible above the safety of the students and staff. Staff turnover is exorbitantly high, frequently leaving classrooms at dangerous student-to-adult ratios. Administration is pretty hands-off and distant when it comes to activity on the floor. I'm a huge advocate for individuals with disabilities, but I would not in good conscious recommend PACE.
PACE has been my son's school for the last 10 years. They are hopeful, respectful, delightful, - pretty much - PACE is full of what the world needs more of! Teachers/Staff with integrity, honesty, dedication, thoughtfulness, caring, and persevering. They always put my son's needs 1st. They always have his best interest in mind. They never say there isn't enough funding for what he needs. They just find ways to get it and get it done well. PACE is amazing!!
Tell your story here and help others understand this charity I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who had the pleasure and honor to volunteer for PACE during the summer of 2010. The organization was an incredible one to volunteer for. Their mindset toward the treatment of children was realistic and natural while the wonderfully patient individuals on staff were helpful and understanding. It was an honor for me to gift my knowledge of the behavioral practice toward the formalization of their clinical practice, and any parent who has concerns that their child be given evidence based education will be pleasantly satisfied with the work and the data collected here. Perhaps most importantly, parents whose concerns include their child's future ability to relate will be more than satisfied with the model of therapy offered at PACE. Their organized delivery of relational, developmental, and behavioral therapy embedded in a full inclusion environment is a model for successful education of children with ASDs and neurotypical children alike. Best of luck in the future, PACE, and thank you for allowing me to help!
I like the vision and mission of Pace and the segment of the community the organization reaches out to aligns with my personal goal - to help the vulnerable. I have found to staff to be commited and professional and caring. Pace has created a safe place for families living with autism to come to for support and assistance. I'm very proud of the work they do and the lives they have enriched through their services. I watch the interaction between the staff and clients when I went to update their donor database at their office.
The preschool provides a developmentally appropriate setting for children with autism and typical children to learn together. The atmosphere is extremely positive, reflecting the name of the preschool "Sunny Days." The children are very comfortable and eager as they participate together in a carefully structured day that offers support and learning through play and interactions. I always have a good time and relish getting to know each unique kid and how they respond. The members of the PACE staff are warm and engaged individuals who place a priority on the value of each human being. This warmth permeates throughout the agency.
I believe PACE is an organization with a purpose that not many are willing to pursue. Caring for children with autism is tedious and sometimes ignored. But I think PACE does a good job in not only fostering them, but teaching them of our society's values and rules. Their longevity of fostering those with autism is most impressive to me. They seem to educate and raise them until they are basically adults. Also, each of the children have his/her own instructor, who I think might even be seen as pseudoparents, in a way.
I briefly volunteered at PACE to fill in some time before going back to school. I had a wonderful experience with everyone there. First of all everybody who works there is very dedicated and passionate about what they do. I've worked with individuals with autism before and being able to do fund raising work for them was an eye opening experience for me. It gave me a glimpse of how a non-profit organization runs. I would definitely love to volunteer again when opportunity arises.
I was a student volunteer at PACE. I had to do a graduation project based upon a social issue and I decided to select autism as my topic. That's when I found PACE. I volunteered in one of the classrooms at PACE for three weeks, and it was an eye opening experience. The kindness of all the workers and teachers there truly embraced the idea of a trusted and welcoming learning environment.
PACE is a great place to gain a variety of experiences and give back to the community at the same time. Having worked with children with autism, I never understood how challenging it can be to raise funds for a non-profit organization. During my experience in PACE, I had the opportunity to source out donations from different cooperations and learned many creative ways to seek out funds from the community. This experience has sharpened my communication skills and taught me persistence, because at times out of 10 calls for donations, there may be only one or no response. Overall, i thoroughly enjoyed my experience at PACE and wish i could volunteer my time at PACE again.
I've been volunteering for PACE for about 6 months, once a week for a few hours. I've worked with Bridget Holian and provided her with background administrative support, doing data-entry, filing, phone calls etc. She's a fabulous person to work with, and all the other people at PACE are nice, welcoming and supportive. I volunteered at the PACE Gala as well, which was a really great and well-organized event! My experience with PACE is great, I've learned a lot from them.
My name is Hannah Nguyen and I am the Co-Chair of PACE's Youth Leadership Committee (YLC). I am 15 years old and I attend Notre Dame High School in San Jose. For the past 4 months I have been working with the staff at PACE and high school student leaders to formulate projects that will benefit PACE. At YLC Meetings, we always take the time to learn more about PACE and Autism and then continue working on our project. Bridget Holian and Nora Martin, the main administrators of the YLC, are a JOY to work with, always enthusiastic and fun but also organized and productive. In fact, all the staff at PACE are so welcoming and open; I really feel comfortable when I'm there. I also appreciate the wonderful opportunities that PACE has provided for me to build as a leader and volunteer and to share my story with others. PACE has broadened so many horizons for the autism community and now they are broadening mine. I can't thank them enough. Finally, the PACE Picnic and the biweekly lunch visits to my high school are two opportunities that PACE has provided for me to get in touch with the Autism community. These two events are really enlightening; I absolutely admire the PACE staff's steadfast patience and determination with these children and adults with Autism. It really motivates me to be like them. Overall, my experience with PACE has been outstanding. Everyone there is a definite delight and inspiration to me. PACE has opened so many doors for me, and I hope I can give back in return.
I currently volunteer at PACE and my experience there has been wonderful. The staff is friendly and supportive. There is a general attitude of cooperation and positivity regarding daily activities in office and interacting with clients. In addition, my fellow volunteers always seem happy to be participating in the day-to-day activities at PACE. My volunteer work there has allowed me to offer my expertise to the center as well as develop new skills. I would, without hesitation, recommend volunteering at PACE and rate my experience there very highly.
My son has attended the PACE school for 10 years. I have been so impressed with the staff and administration at PACE. They have provided my son with incredible opportunities and have seen him through some very challenging periods of time. They have not only provided constant support for my son, but for our family as well. We have felt a great sense of comfort being a part of the PACE family. The staff at PACE strives to bring out the best in each of their students by seeing their individual strengths and treating them with the greatest respect. PACE takes pride in advancing curriculum, learning, growing and maintaining a high quality educational experience for their students. And they do so with patience, kindness, respect and a positive, fun attitude. We have been very blessed to be a part of PACE.
