D.A.R.E. OVERVIEW

D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teach children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive, drug-free and violence-free lives. The program initially focused on elementary school children, but has been expanded to include middle and high school students.

The primary goal of D.A.R.E. is the prevention of substance abuse and violence among school children. D.A.R.E. accomplishes this goal by:

Providing students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs
Teaching students how to say "no" to drugs while providing alternatives to drug use
Teaching students decision-making skills and the consequences of their behavior
Providing life-skills to resist peer pressure and high-risk behavior

D.A.R.E. goes far beyond traditional drug abuse programs that emphasize drug identification and the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. These programs only warn children not to use these substances, not how to resist the pressures to try them. D.A.R.E. teaches children the skills they need to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that may lead them to experiment with drugs and alcohol.

D.A.R.E. students learn about the dangers of drugs and gain self-confidence by acting out problem situations in a classroom setting. They are taught to keep their bodies healthy and to control their feelings when angry or under stress. Students are also taught how to respond when a friend pressures them to use alcohol or drugs and to recognize the various forms of influence from peers, parents, and the media. They learn to choose positive activities instead of just "hanging out" on the streets.