Mission & History

Our mission is to establish and strengthen the county-wide effort of mobilizing resources for quality enrichment and educational programs for Pulaski County youth.

We have been a vital part of the community for a number of years. In 1994, a group of concerned citizens came together to form the Pulaski County Council for Children and Youth Services (PCCCYS), whose mission was to address the increase in juvenile crime due to gang activity. As a result of the group’s desire to provide alternative programming to the youth in Pulaski County, the PCCCYS developed the Our Club afterschool model and charged the newly formed Department of Juvenile Services with oversight of the program. In 2006, Juvenile Services changed its name to Pulaski County Youth Services (PCYS) to better define its clientele and to encourage all youth, regardless of their socio-economic background, to take advantage of its programming. What began with the Our Club afterschool program has evolved into all-encompassing programs designed to give Pulaski County youth every opportunity to achieve their life goals. Since 1994, PCYS has served thousands of youth ages 6 to 18. In 2011 alone, PCYS has provided enrichment and educational programming to more than 1,400 students.

Over the past two decades, Youth Services has demonstrated a deep and continued investment in the lives of Pulaski County youth. The programs have been effective in keeping youth off the streets and increasing educational achievement, improving test scores, developing leadership skills, increasing financial literacy, developing job skills, and building self esteem in thousands of youth. PCYS plans to continue meeting the needs of our county’s youth.