What is 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.
OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST THREE YEARS, WELL OVER 220 COMMUNITIES HAVE STARTED NEW D.A.R.E. PROGRAMS
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.
Specially Trained Officers 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.'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.
The D.A.R.E. Officers Association of MS would like to thank Richelle Anderson, owner of Lighthouse Web Dezines, for the wonderful work she has done to get this website up and running. We are so thankful to have a tool to put our message out there so that can all work together to help young people all over the state to make healthy decisions and become productive citizens!