Mt. Pleasant Police Department

     
 

One Town Hall Plaza  -  Valhalla, NY 10595

Phone: (914) 769-1941  -  Fax: (914) 769-7199

   

What is D.A.R.E.?

Home
Kids Links
Parents Links
What is DARE?
Which schools have DARE?
Photos of DARE cars
About your DARE Officers

What is D.A.R.E. ?





"D.A.R.E. is a unique and magical program that gives law enforcement officials the opportunity to provide children with the knowledge and strength to make choices they can call their very own."



- D.A.R.E. Officer





D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It is a program taught in schools by specially trained law enforcement officers. It was created by a combined effort of educators and law enforcement personnel in Los Angeles in 1983, and rapidly expanded nationwide.



Officers are carefully chosen and must undergo stringent training to receive their certification as D.A.R.E. instructors. A common thread shared by these D.A.R.E. instructors is their dedication to the task and their commitment to helping children.



"D.A.R.E. hasn't just taught me about drugs. It has taught me daily life skills. I've learned ways to live a better life and take care of myself."



- sixth grader



D.A.R.E. is not focused on "scare tactics," but on helping children develop important life skills in order to make good choices; skills needed to deal with the dangers of illicit and illegal drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. D.A.R.E. provides the guidance children need to make the right decisions for their health and their future.





"The kids had developed a relationship with the D.A.R.E. Officer that rooted deep within their hearts. My daughter remarked to me, 'Mom, he is so sensitive, he really cares about us…he's a good friend and we don't want him to leave.'"



- a parent







The 10-week elementary curriculum, taught to fifth or sixth graders, covers many topics that help students understand and deal with social pressures while strengthening their own self-image. Lessons actively involve student participation through workbook exercises, questions and answers, role playing, and group discussion. These lessons include:



· Personal safety

· Assertiveness

· Use and misuse of drugs

· Managing stress

· Consequences of behavior

· Media influences

· Building self-esteem

· Role models

· Resisting peer pressure

· Support systems

· Alternatives

· Decision-making and risk-taking





D.A.R.E. is taught on a continuum from kindergarten through 12th grade. The K through 4th grade lessons focus on personal safety. Middle school and high school lessons reinforce the elementary curriculum, as well as covering additional issues such as managing anger and resolving conflict without the use of drugs or violence.





"I have dreams I want to accomplish from now until the time I am an adult…D.A.R.E. helped me take a step to make my time all it can be."



- sixth grader





Through D.A.R.E. and the caring people who make it work, today's children have a stronger chance of creating a better world.









"If we fail to dare, if we do not try, the next generation

Will harvest the fruit of our indifference --- a world

We could have made better by caring more."



-- Senator Robert Kennedy







"Because our children hold the future in their hands, we all must take responsibility for them. Setting them on the right path will take all of us; law enforcement officials, educators, parents, and members of the business community working together."



-- business leader





If you would like to learn more about D.A.R.E., lend your support, or find out how to establish a D.A.R.E. program in your community, please contact:



NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services
Bureau for Municipal Police
Executive Park Tower
Stuyvesant Plaza
Albany, NY 12203



1-800-SAY-DARE

(518) 457-2667







D.A.R.E. is a registered service mark of D.A.R.E. America, Inc.
The D.A.R.E. curricula are legally copywrited by the Los Angeles Unified School District.



Back to Mt. Pleasant Police D.A.R.E.