D.A.R.E. in Kansas

The Statewide D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program was created by the legislature in 1999. The program has two staff members, whose duties include assisting and providing resources to D.A.R.E. officers across the state, making school visits, and coordinating the training required before officers can teach the lessons. D.A.R.E. was established in 1983 and continues to be an active partnership between parents, schools, and law enforcement. The program has grown to be the most popular and widely used prevention curriculum in the world.

Kansas has 257 D.A.R.E. officers representing 122 law enforcement agencies in 58 counties. In 2001, more than 130,000 Kansas students in 394 schools from 161 districts received the D.A.R.E. program.

D.A.R.E. is a school-based prevention curriculum is designed to be delivered by uniformed law enforcement officers. Its goal is to assist students in developing knowledge, skills and attitudes that will help them avoid substance abuse and violence. D.A.R.E. is a partnership between schools, families and law enforcement that enhances the protective and social bonding factors in family, school and community. It helps students identify risk factors and works on building skills to avoid those risk factors. The core curriculum is designed for the exit level of elementary school (usually 5th or 6th grade), and consists of a 10-lesson format. The middle school and high school curriculums are each delivered in 10 lessons. All three of these curriculums use a workbook and are based on a cooperative learning strategy.

There are three additional school-based curriculums: the K-4 visitations, special education, and D.A.R.E. + Plus (an after-school program designed for middle school students).

The D.A.R.E. parent curriculum is designed for any adult interested in ensuring health, safety, and the development of life skills for children.

D.A.R.E. lessons focus on the following objectives for all programs:

• Acquiring knowledge and skills to recognize and resist peer pressure to experiment with tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
• Enhancing self-esteem.
• Learning assertiveness techniques.
• Learning about positive alternatives to substance use.
• Building interpersonal and communications skills.
• Learning anger management and conflict resolution skills.
• Developing risk assessment and decision making skills.
• Reducing violence.
• Resisting gang involvement.