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D.A.R.E. Program:
D.A.R.E. is a validated, copyrighted drug abuse
prevention education program representing a cooperative effort
between education and law enforcement. The D.A.R.E. program has
as its major emphasis a 10-week core curriculum presented to
fifth and sixth grade students by specially trained uniformed
police officers.
The D.A.R.E. program targets children at an age when they are
most receptive to drug prevention education and before they are
likely to have experimented with tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
D.A.R.E.'s goal is to prevent adolescent substance abuse thereby
reducing the demand side of drugs. The D.A.R.E. program was
developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District in
cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department.
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The program objectives include the
following:
1. to provide the skills for recognizing and resisting
social pressures to experiment with tobacco, alcohol and
drugs;
2. to help enhance self-esteem;
3. to teach positive alternatives to substance use;
4. to develop skills in risk assessment and decision making;
and
5. to build interpersonal and communications skills
Curriculum
The D.A.R.E. curriculum helps satisfy the
Virginia State Board of Education's fundamental requirements for
health education and drug prevention. The D.A.R.E. lessons are
presented sequentially, and each lesson is designed to provide a
specific life skill. The D.A.R.E. program requires that a
certified teacher be in the classroom with the D.A.R.E. officer.
Officers
The key to the D.A.R.E. program’s success begins
with selecting the right people. The officers involved in the
D.A.R.E. program are experienced police officers. In Virginia,
choosing officers is a highly selective process. D.A.R.E.
officer candidates must be full-time sworn officers with at
least two years of law enforcement experience.
Once D.A.R.E. officers enter the classroom, they utilize the
skills acquired during training along with their personal
qualities. These individual qualities come into play outside the
classroom, too. An important part of D.A.R.E. revolves around
the officer's on-campus visibility.
D.A.R.E. field coordinators periodically visit officers to
observe their classroom performance. The primary role of field
coordinators is to ensure the integrity and continuity of the
D.A.R.E. curriculum is maintained. They also offer technical
assistance to the officers and act as a liaison with the school
district.
Educators
Obviously, educators play an instrumental role
in the success of D.A.R.E. Without their support and
cooperation, the full impact and results of the program could
not be achieved. The school begins its commitment by helping the
D.A.R.E. officer feel at home and a part of the school's family.
The teachers assist the D.A.R.E. officer in the D.A.R.E. class
as well as helping students between D.A.R.E. officer visits.
Teachers monitor the D.A.R.E. question box and hold periodic
class discussions over review concepts explored in D.A.R.E.,
They also help the children create and display signs, posters
and collages for their D.A.R.E. classes. The principals play an
active role too, assisting with logistical needs, D.A.R.E.
graduation ceremonies and in keeping D.A.R.E. communication
lines open with the parents.
Future
The future has yet to be determined. D.A.R.E. is
one of the best existing crime prevention programs. With its
existence in all 50 states and several foreign countries, it can
drastically reduce substance abuse. It is up to each community
to build a road for our children to follow. Where they finish
depends upon its direction. Let's build one that leads to a
drug-free life. After all, our youth is our nation's most
valuable asset.
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