D.A.R.E. is taught in the schools by the Elmsford Police Department with the assistance of the Greenburgh Police Department. A specially trained police officer teaches classes in the local schools dealing with drug abuse, peer pressure and making the right choices. 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. 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 legal 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 17-week elementary curriculum, taught to 5th or 6th 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. Junior and senior 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.

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 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., 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-D.A.R.E.
(518) 457-2667

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