D.A.R.E.
History
   
History of the D.A.R.E. Program
Early in 1983, it was apparent that stopping the supply and abuse of illegal drugs was a nearly impossible task. The demand for illicit drugs from all levels of society was increasing dramatically. Children were becoming involved in the drug culture at earlier ages and in greater numbers than ever before.
 In order to educate elementary school age children to the consequences of drug abuse, and ultimately stop the demand for illegal drugs, the Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (L.A.U.S.D.) combined forces to develop a drug abuse prevention program.
During the development of the curriculum, numerous drug abuse education programs were examined. As a result of this study, an innovative cooperative L.A.P.D./L.A.U.S.D. drug abuse prevention program entitled "Drug Abuse Resistance Education" (D.A.R.E.) was developed.
The program equips fifth and sixth grade students with the life skills for resisting peer pressure to experiment with drugs and alcohol. The curriculum of this program focuses on techniques of peer pressure resistance, self management skills, self concept improvement and value decisions concerning respect for the law and personal safety.
D.A.R.E. Pilot Program
Commencing in September of 1983, a pilot program began with ten L.A.P.D. Officers assigned as Substance Abuse Instructors in Los Angeles city schools. Prior to entering the classroom, each of these Officer/Instructors participated in an eighty hour training course which included curriculum on teaching techniques as well as elementary school operations, preparations of visual aids, Officer-School relationships, development of self-esteem, peer pressure resistance techniques, narcotic recognition, communication skills, child development and classroom evaluations.
When teaching the curriculum to the fifth and sixth grade students, the Officer Instructors teach from structured lesson plans developed by L.A.U.S.D. Curriculum Specialists. In addition to their teaching assignments, the Officer\Instructors have been given the responsibility of introducing an abbreviated lesson plan to students in grades K through 4. The officers also network with the school principals and teachers to provide parenting skills and drug abuse prevention techniques at parent meetings in each school.
In the 1984-85 school year, a pilot program at the junior high level was initiated. In response to requests for the D.A.R.E. Program, a modified D.A.R.E. curriculum was developed and made available to private and parochial schools not receiving the D.A.R.E. program.
The State of California, through the Office of Criminal Justice Planning, awarded D.A.R.E. a $478,000 grant for five years to develop drug abuse prevention education in schools. Funds from this grant enabled D.A.R.E. to provide Officer/Instructor training to representatives from law enforcement agencies across the state.
D.A.R.E. America Formed
Since its inception, D.A.R.E. has served as a model program for agencies throughout the country. In order to assist other communities in developing programs to meet their needs, D.A.R.E. has developed training classes for other agencies. Interest in this training has been widespread. There are currently more than 7,500 Police Officers teaching the D.A.R.E. curriculum to students in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Japan and parts of Europe. To this day L.A.P.D. has continued to provide this training to allied agencies for free.
In order to respond to the overwhelming National and International demand for D.A.R.E., a nonprofit corporation, D.A.R.E. America, has been created. Headquartered in Los Angeles, D.A.R.E. America will support implementation of D.A.R.E. training and coordinate fund-raising and sponsorship opportunities. It will also regularly monitor instruction standards and program results. Nationally prominent business and community leaders, including Mr. Nathan Shapell, head of California's "Little Hoover" Commission, and philanthropist Dr. Armand Hammer will administer D.A.R.E. America's goals.
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