Pasadena's Pacific Oaks College & Children's School has a long and distinguished history of service, training, and advocacy for the needs of children and families. Adopting Collaborate PASadena into the Pacific Oaks family is a convergence of two similar missions, and leaders of the organizations are excited with all of the possibilities the new relationship brings.

"We are thrilled with this blending of our programs, and look forward to the many new opportunities that it will create for our students and for the community," said Dr. Patricia A. Breen, Ph.D., President of Pacific Oaks College & Children's School.

Collaborate PASadena was established to benefit the children of Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre by bringing together the City of Pasadena, Pasadena Unified School District and community nonprofit and other partners. Work Groups have met regularly around focus areas of Healthy Families, Early Learning, Student Success, Parent Engagement and Supportive Communities. As a framework of the Collective Impact model, Collaborate PASadena, the backbone of the initiative, has served the community by developing partnerships, connecting organizations and individuals, communicating to and between partners, building alliances, serving as an information clearinghouse, and sparking new ideas.

The initiative has been funded by the City of Pasadena, Pasadena Unified School District and the County of Los Angeles. With the PUSD's current financial status and cuts to the district’s budget, funding for Collaborate PASadena has been curtailed. Restructuring today, and merging the effort with Pacific Oaks College will help to sustain this important work into the future, as a number of involved constituents have indicated interest in seeing this initiative succeed for years to come.

Deeply rooted in the Pasadena area, and providing education “centered on community,” Pacific Oaks College partners with hundreds of schools, clinics, and nonprofit organizations for volunteering, internship, practicum, and fieldwork experiences for their students. Through established relationships with organizations throughout California, Pacific Oaks offers vast networking opportunities for students in their Early Childhood Education, Education, Advocacy & Social Justice, Human Development, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Organizational Leadership degree programs.

In becoming part of the Pacific Oaks family, Collaborate PASadena will enjoy strong support for key areas:

Collaborate PASadena Work Group activity will continue under new leadership and administration, with the goal of amplifying the work of participating partners.