D A R E

Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education

Vichy's D.A.R.E. Officer is Deputy Swift from the Napa County Sheriff's Department. 

D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of weekly classroom lessons that provide our 5th grade classes with needed skills to help them resist peer pressure and to help them live productive, drug-free and violence-free lives.The primary goal of D.A.R.E. is the prevention of substance abuse, gang affiliation and involvement in violence. D.A.R.E. accomplishes this goal by:

• Providing students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs
• Teaching students how to say "no" to drugs while providing alternatives to drug use
• Teaching students decision-making skills and the consequences of their behavior
• Building students' self-esteem and teaching them to resist peer pressure.

D.A.R.E. students learn about the dangers of drugs and gain self-confidence by acting out problem situations in a classroom setting. They are taught to keep their bodies healthy and to control their feelings when angry or under stress. Students are also taught how to respond when a friend pressures them to use alcohol or drugs and to recognize the various forms of influence from peers, parents, and the media. They learn to choose positive activities instead of just "hanging out" on the streets.

D.A.R.E.'s innovative and highly effective curriculum was developed by health education specialists. This research-based curriculum is taught by police officers whose training and experience give them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young people about drugs and crime. Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, carefully selected officers undergo 80 hours of intensive training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills.