Founded in 2001, the Pacific Islands Center for Educational Development (PiCED) is a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization located in the U.S. territory of American Samoa.

PiCED was built upon a simple yet powerful idea: admission to and graduation from college is an attainable and realistic goal for all students of Pacific Island origin.

A catalyst for change in the academic lives of elementary and secondary-level students, PiCED’s initial mandate was to help students navigate the oftentimes imposing maze that is the college application process and to prepare students to take standardized exams like the SAT, ACT, and TOEFL.The PiCED mission gradually evolved with the introduction of the Youth Empowerment for Success (YES!) Project and the American Samoa Parent Information Resource Center (ASPIRC), two distinct yet complementary programs that fell under the umbrella of PiCED. The YES! Program naturally merged with and became a part of our Student Service division, and, from there, PiCED expanded to become the major community resource and education center that it is today. Offering a wide range of cradle to college services, PiCED serves the Samoan and Pacific Islander communities in a wide variety of ways. In an effort to prepare “the whole student,” we push the boundaries of development by encouraging growth in the academic, personal, and social realms. 

As PiCED's focus broadened, so did the need to educate the people in our students' support networks. Training and development programs for parents and teachers have become staples in the list of PiCED programs as we work to bridge the gap between home and school, parent and child. 

PiCED's staff is created from a pool of diverse, energetic, and dynamic individuals. Whether fresh out of college or a seasoned member of the professional world, staff members are creative problem-solvers and are dedicated to serving the organization's mission.