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Background of D.A.R.E. Program
In January of 1983, Chief Daryl Gates of the Los Angeles
Police Department (LAPD) approached the Superintendent
of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) expressing concern about the drug problems facing society. As a result
of this meeting, a task force composed of LAPD and LAUSD personnel was appointed to develop a drug abuse prevention program
for elementary children. This group created D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) that would be taught to 5th and 6th
graders. D.A.R.E. eventually expanded its curriculum to include grades Kindergarten through High School.
Goals and Objectives of D.A.R.E.
The primary goal of the D.A.R.E. program is to prevent substance
abuse among school age children. The D.A.R.E. program targets children at an age when they are most receptive to drug prevention
education and before they are likely to have experimented with tobacco, alchohol, and other drugs. D.A.R.E. seeks to prevent
adolescent substance abuse, thus reducing the demand for drugs.
The D.A.R.E. program curriculum focuses on the following
objectives for student learning:
1. Provides the skills for recognizing and resisting social pressures to experiment
with tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
2. Helps enhance self-esteem.
3. Teaches positive alternatives to
substance abuse and other destructive behaviors.
4. Develops skills in risk-assessment, decision-making, and conflict
resolution resolution.
5. Builds interpersonal and communication skills.
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| Center Street Grade School |
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Fairfield's D.A.R.E. program started in 1989 with Harry Eckleberry
as the first D.A.R.E. Officer. Officer Brent Maguire currently teaches the D.A.R.E. program each year to approximately 70
students at Center Street Grade School.
D.A.R.E. Curriculum
Center Street Grade School is visited once a week for 17
weeks during the school year. Lessons last 45 - 60 minutes and involve students in a variety of exercises both written and
verbal. D.A.R.E. gives children skills to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment
with drugs and alcohol.
Along with learning how to react when offered drugs, children learn about peer pressure, self-concept
improvement, handling stress, value judgements and risks, as well as respect for the law, personal safety and the glamorization
of drugs and alcohol in the media. At the conclusion of the semester, graduation ceremonies are held to honor students for
the successful completion of the D.A.R.E. program.
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