DARE | GREAT | RCSO Kids The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, the pioneer prevention effort founded in Los Angeles in 1983, is high tech, interactive, and decision-model based way of educating students. This curriculum is taught to all 5th grade students in our school system. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches 5th grade students how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills.