What Is The D.A.R.E. Program ?

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a special program which combines the efforts of law enforcement officers and schools to teach children how to say 'NO' to drugs. For 17 weeks, uniformed police officers lead 5th graders through exercises which build their self-esteem, increase their awareness of the danger of drugs and teach them different strategies to use in resisting peer pressure.

Instruction provides each student with accurate information, teaches coping and decision making skills and demonstrates positive alternatives to substance abuse. Scare tactics, which teach only the harms of drugs, are avoided. The program is aimed at reducing the problem of drug abuse by trying to stem the demand for drugs.

The D.A.R.E. Program started in Los Angeles in 1983. It has now grown to include over 500 programs in over 30 states. More than 5.5 million children have been involved in the program.

Research has shown that graduates of D.A.R.E. have higher grade point averages and less involvement with drug abuse, crime and gang violence. In addition, D.A.R.E. students have less absenteeism and tardiness and fewer in-classroom disciplinary problems. Schools with D.A.R.E. programs report a decline in school vandalism and higher respect for authority among students.

A recent Gallup survey of students who have completed the D.A.R.E. program shows that more than 90% believe the D.A.R.E. program provided them with the necessary skills to avoid drugs and alcohol.

 

Tips For Parents

  • Establish family rules that make the use of drugs non-negotiable.
  • Educate yourself about drugs, so you can talk informatively with you children and answer their questions
  • Since 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 for your children and their friends, such as curfew, the amount of spending money they receive, and their use of a car.
  • If problems arise, try to seek advice from someone both you and your child respect and can relate to.

D.A.R.E. Curriculum

The 17 week program starts with an introduction into the DARE Program. Rules for behavior in class are discussed and agreed upon. Each student is asked to sign and take home a participation page which helps the parents understand the focus of the 17 week program.

Each week concentrates on a single lesson which the students work through with the help of the DARE Officer.

The 17 lessons in the program focus on:

  • Practices for personal safety
  • Drug use and misuse
  • Consequences of drug use
  • Resisting peer pressure
  • Ways to say "NO"
  • Building self-esteem
  • Assertiveness: a response style
  • Managing stress without taking drugs
  • Media influences on drug use
  • Decision making and risk taking
  • Alternatives to drug abuse
  • Role modeling
  • Forming a support system
  • Ways to deal with pressure from gangs
  • Lesson review
  • Taking a stand
  • Student Achievement
For Some D.A.R.E. Recommended Links

Click Here To Go To The Dare America Web Site.

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 This page was last updated on 05/20/03 06:33 PM.  © Copyright 2003 City of Richmond, Michigan. All Rights Reserved.