Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) is a drug abuse prevention education program designed to equip elementary, middle and high school aged children with knowledge about drug abuse, the consequences of abuse, and skills for resisting peer pressure to experiment with drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Based on the premise that prevention is the only long-term answer to drug abuse, the program is present in all 50 states and 53 countries and is taught in over 75% of the nation’s school districts, creating a positive atmosphere for students to interact with uniformed law enforcement officers.

Program Design
This unique program uses uniformed law enforcement officers to teach a formal curriculum to students in a classroom setting.

• D.A.R.E. provides life-skills
• D.A.R.E. lesson plans focus on 4 major areas:
  • Providing accurate information about drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
  • Teaching students good decision-making skills.
  • Showing students how to recognize and resist peer pressure.
  • Giving students ideas for positive alternatives to drug use.

D.A.R.E officers work with children to raise their self-esteem, teach them how to make decisions on their own, and help them identify positive alternatives to drugs. Through role-playing, the D.A.R.E., curriculum emphasizes the negative consequences of drug use, and reinforces the skills to resist peer pressure and intimidation.

Key Program Elements
One of the unique features of D.A.R.E. is the use of uniformed police officers as instructors. D.A.R.E. officers are assigned to a classroom "beat." Equipped with the latest in prevention science and teaching techniques, D.A.R.E. is reinventing itself as part of a major national research study that promises to help teachers and administrators cope with the thorny issues of school violence, budget cuts, and terrorism. The need for an effective education program to inoculate students against the threat of drugs is critical to the well being of our children and their future.

D.A.R.E. does not:

• Use scare tactics - D.A.R.E. relies on accurate information and a straight-forward approach.
• Conduct a "Witch Hunt" - D.A.R.E. Officers never encourage students to "turn in" family or friends who may be breaking the law. D.A.R.E. students are taught to say "someone I know . . .” when sharing stories; never using real names.
• Use Drugs “Hands On” - How drugs are used (methods) are not taught. Drugs are never taken into a classroom as part of D.A.R.E.

Parent Support
Parents can support the goals of the program in the following ways:

• Establish family rules that make it clear that drug use will not be tolerated.
• Educate yourself about drugs, so you can talk informatively with your children and answer their questions.
• Spend time with your children listening to their concerns and showing how much you love and care for them.
• Recognize that you are their most important role model.
• Because peer pressure is a major factor in teen drug use, know your children's friends.
• Talk with other parents. Try to establish uniform rules that make access to drugs harder, such as curfew and the amount of spending money they receive.
• If a problem exists, get help! Don't say "Not my child!"

More Information
For further information please call 609-799-2333.