D.A.R.E. Program
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a police officer led series of classroom lessons that teach children from K-12 grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug free and violence free lives.D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles, California and has proven so successful that it is now implemented in 75% of our nations school districts and in more than 43 different countries around the world.
The Sundance Police Department has 2 certified D.A.R.E. officers. One teaches D.A.R.E. in the elementary school and the other teaches in the middle school setting. Both programs give kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. Both officers went through 80 + hrs of special training in areas such child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills.
The D.A.R.E. program offers an opportunity for law enforcement and young people to build a mutual relationship of trust and respect. It also opens lines of communication with the schools and parents which also assists with dealing with other issues that may arise in other settings that occur outside of the D.A.R.E. program.