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Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)

About D.A.R.E.
This year millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

Mission
D.A.R.E.'s primary mission is to provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug-and-violence-free lives.

The mission is to equip kids with the tools that will enable them to avoid negative influences and instead, allow them to focus on their strengths and potential. And, that's exactly what D.A.R.E. is designed to do. Additionally, it establishes positive relationships between students and law enforcement, teachers, parents, and other community leaders. Every youngster should have the opportunity to grow-up healthy, safe, secure, and equipped with the skills needed to succeed in life. Contemporary America, however, is rampant with challenges that could keep children from a positive life path.

D.A.R.E. At-A-Glance
Description:
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a collaborative program in which local law enforcement and local schools join together to educate students about the personal and social consequences of substance abuse and violence. The D.A.R.E. curricula are designed to be delivered sequentially from grades K-12. First developed in 1983, D.A.R.E. has undergone multiple revisions as research findings increased knowledge of effective substance abuse prevention among school-aged youth.

Founded: 1983

Leadership:
Charlie Parsons, President and CEO of D.A.R.E. America, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.

Mission:
To provide children with the information and skills they need to avoid tobacco and alcohol, to live drug-free and violence-free lives.

Outreach:
Millions of U.S. children in more than 300,000 classrooms in 10,000 communities in all 50 states will benefit from D.A.R.E. this year. D.A.R.E. also benefits millions of children in 53 other countries. Additionally, all Department of Defense Schools worldwide and all U.S. Territories have D.A.R.E. programs in place.

Curricula:
The NEW K-12 D.A.R.E. curricula lessons focus on:
• Strong NO USE message
• Immediate consequences
• Normative beliefs
• Consequential thinking (Problem solving and conflict management)
• Self-management skills
• Voluntary commitment
• Credible presenter
• Character Education
• Protective factors-resiliency
• Interactive participatory learning
• Social resistance skills
• Violence prevention
• Alternatives
• Role-modeling
• Set curriculum and quality training

The D.A.R.E. sequential curricula is comprised of the following:
• Elementary curriculum
• Junior High/Middle School curriculum
• High School curriculum
• Parent Training

After School:
D.A.R.E. + P.L.U.S. (Play and Learn Under Supervision) is an on-campus program offering middle school students safe, enjoyable, educational after-school activities. D.A.R.E. + P.L.U.S. combines community volunteers with D.A.R.E. officers and school staff for the benefits of students on campus immediately after school.

Parent Training:
The D.A.R.E. Parent Training is being introduced in communities throughout the U.S. It is designed to help parents talk with their children and complement in-class D.A.R.E. programs for students in grades K- 12.

Officers:
More than 50,000 local law enforcement officers are certified to teach the D.A.R.E. program.

Funding:
D.A.R.E. is not a government program although it has enjoyed Administration support. Since its inception, funding for D.A.R.E. student educational materials and instructors training is provided by D.A.R.E. America, a non-profit organization. Less than one percent of D.A.R.E. America's budget comes from federal sources.

Review:
D.A.R.E. is reviewed annually by the D.A.R.E. Scientific Advisory Board, the D.A.R.E. America Law Enforcement Advisory Board, D.A.R.E. officers, school and municipal administrators. Research findings and increased knowledge of effective anti-drug, anti-violence, and anti-substance abuse prevention is continually evaluated for incorporation into curricula.

The Value of the D.A.R.E. Network
The Launching of D.A.R.E. America
Overwhelming national and international demand for D.A.R.E. led to the creation of D.A.R.E. America, a national non-profit organization. D.A.R.E. America serves as a resource to communities, helping to establish and improve local D.A.R.E. programs. D.A.R.E. America provides officer training, supports the development and evaluation of the D.A.R.E. curriculum, provides student educational materials, monitors instruction standards and program results, and creates national awareness for D.A.R.E.

Specially Trained Cops Assigned D.A.R.E. Classroom Beats
The D.A.R.E. curriculum is designed to be taught by police officers whose training and experience gave them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young students about drugs and crime. Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills. 40 hours of additional training are provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach the high school curriculum.

D.A.R.E. Receives High Marks From America's Leaders
Presidential administrations, governors, members of congress, and state legislators have praised D.A.R.E. Since 1988, Presidential Proclamation declares one day each year National D.A.R.E. Day. State legislatures have joined with the President and Congress by proclaiming D.A.R.E. day within their respective states.

D.A.R.E. Training is Unique
D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs. It gives children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities.

D.A.R.E. is Community Policing
D.A.R.E. is universally viewed as an internationally recognized model of community policing. The United States Department of Justice has identified how D.A.R.E. benefits local communities:
• D.A.R.E. humanizes the police: that is, young people can begin to relate to officers as people
• D.A.R.E. permits students to see officers in a helping role, not just an enforcement role
• D.A.R.E. opens lines of communication between law enforcement and youth
• D.A.R.E. Officers can serve as conduits to provide information beyond drug-related topics
• D.A.R.E. opens dialogue between the school, police, and parents to deal with other issues

The New D.A.R.E. classroom lessons
Never satisfied, D.A.R.E. America is moving forward with an even better and improved D.A.R.E. program. In fact, it is in the tenth revision of the program. Recognizing that no other school-based program possesses the delivery system of D.A.R.E., the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has provided a generous grant to the University of Akron to develop and test a new D.A.R.E. curriculum. This new state-of-the art substance abuse prevention curriculum will be tested and evaluated over a five-year period with over 50,000 students in six U.S. cities. The goal is to design and test the next generation of science-based program.

D.A.R.E. America
P.O. Box 512090
Los Angeles, CA 90051-0090
Phone: 800-223-DARE or 310-215-0575
Fax: 310-215-0180
www.dare.com