D.A.R.E. is the largest and most widely implemented drug and violence prevention program in the world. It is currently taught by police officers in 19 countries and in 7,000 communities in the United States. At Hamilton Elementary, it is taught to fifth graders by a Deputy from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
and the Loudoun County Sheriff's Department.
The D.A.R.E. curriculum is designed to equip early adolescent students with the skills to resist substance abuse and violence. D.A.R.E. lessons include the following:
- Learning to recognize and resist peer pressure to experiment with tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
- Enhancing self-esteem.
- Learning assertiveness techniques.
- Learning anger management and conflict resolution skills.
- Developing risk assessment and decision-making skills.
- Building interpersonal and communications skills.
- Learning about positive alternatives to substance use.
- Reducing violence.