PROGRAM OVERVIEW The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program is an internationally recognized, model program created in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
D.A.R.E. provides students from kindergarten through high school with the skills necessary to recognize and resist pressures to experiment with drugs and to avoid gangs and violence. Lessons emphasize self-esteem, decision making, interpersonal communications skills, the consequences of drug abuse, conflict resolution and positive alternatives to substance abuse.
The most important facet of D.A.R.E. is the use of specially trained police officers to deliver the curriculum within the schools. Police Officers are accepted as authorities on drug abuse, as they deal with drug abuse and its consequences on a daily basis.
