What is D.A.R.E.?

A simple acronym with a big message.  D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.  D.A.R.E. teaches children from kindergarten through high school that popularity can be found in positive behavior; that belonging need not require them to abandon their values; that self-confidence and self-worth come from asserting themselves and resisting destructive temptations.  D.A.R.E. teaches them not just that they should refuse drugs and alcohol, but how to do so. D.A.R.E. gives our children the tools they need to build a drug free and satisfying life.

The Washington County Sheriff’s D.A.R.E. program sends highly-trained police officers into fifth and sixth grade classrooms every week for 17 weeks to teach students how to refuse drugs and alcohol.  Separate components have been developed to introduce kindergarten through fourth grade students to the D.A.R.E. program and to follow-up in middle school and high school classrooms, spreading the D.A.R.E. message throughout the schools.  Washington County Sheriff’s Department D.A.R.E. officers reach hundreds of students every year.  The program follows a carefully structured curriculum, focusing on topics such as personal safety, drug use and misuse, consequences of behavior, resisting peer pressure, building self-esteem, assertiveness training, and more. By getting the message from a police officer- one who’s been out there and knows how drugs and alcohol can destroy lives – kids take that message seriously. And, by getting to kids when they’re most vulnerable to social pressure – when they are 9, 10, and 11 years old or sooner – D.A.R.E. helps them build the will power necessary for them to believe in themselves so they’ll stay on track as they forge their future.

D.A.R.E. Works!

D.A.R.E. is making a difference in our community.  D.A.R.E. has been doing its job for over a decade. And it’s succeeding. It’s not a one-hour, once-a-year visit by a stranger. It’s a four-and-a-half months of straight talk and conversation, with someone who becomes a friend and an ally. It leaves a lasting impression on kids and their families. And more.

In two studies, one by the Evaluation and Training Institute and another funded by the National Institute of Justice, a sample of students who had completed the D.A.R.E. curriculum shows:

• Significantly less substance abuse, including cigarettes and

• Alcohol;

• A sharp decrease in school vandalism and truancy;

• Improved student work habits;

• Reduced gang activity;

• A more positive attitude toward Police.