The San Pasqual Academy (SPA) in Escondido is a first-in-the-nation residential education campus designed specifically for foster teens. The Academy is located in North County and provides foster teens with a stable, caring home; a quality, individualized education; and the skills needed for independent living.
SPA opened in October 2001 and currently has a capacity to serve 184 youth. The 238-acre campus features individual family-style homes, an on-site, accredited high school, a cafeteria, a technology and career information center, an auditorium, recreation fields, a gymnasium, a health and wellness center, a day rehabilitation clinic, and a swimming pool. The San Pasqual Fire Department is also on the campus and provides internship opportunities for the youth. Teens live and learn at the Academy, as they prepare for college and/or a career path.
San Pasqual Academy’s Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Program is a work readiness and self-sufficiency program that has been providing services to students since the school opened in 2001. YES is funded by the San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP), which partners with Access, Inc. to provide the direct services.
YES provides a comprehensive program that includes work readiness training, financial literacy, leadership development, internships, job shadow, job placement and career exploration activities to all students on campus. The work experience/internship component strives to improve the outcomes for students as they transition off campus and into self-sufficiency.