Welcome to the Village of Rantoul D.A.R.E. Homepage. D.A.R.E. was introduced in Rantoul in the fall of 1996 by Police Chief Allen Jones. Since it was the first year - we only taught the 5th and 6th grade students. Today, Officer Kevin Kaiser the D.A.R.E. officer for the Village of Rantoul. Officer Kaiser also visits K-4th grade students at Rantoul City Schools (Northview, Broadmeadow, Pleasant Acres, Eastlawn) also St. Malachy Catholic School.

The summer of 1997 Officer Kaiser was trained in the Jr. High School curriculum. The fall of 1997 Officer Kaiser taught at the 5th gradelevel, and jumped to the 7th grade as well. J.W. Eater Jr. High School as well as St. Malachy Catholic School students are taught at the 7th grade level.

During the past two years over 1000 students have been taught the D.A.R.E. curriculum in Rantoul, with 500 of them receiving their second year at the 7th grade level. The reception in the schools as well as the community have been overwhelmingly successful.

The Rantoul D.A.R.E. Program hosts several events during the school year, as well as throughout the summer. Child Safety programs, Stranger/Danger, Bicycle Safety/Helmet Safety programs as well as two separate Bicycles Rodeos were held this past spring and summer. Child I.D. and fingerprinting sessions were also held at local businesses. The Rantoul D.A.R.E. Program has also traveled to several local business picnics.

D.A.R.E. to Begin
D.A.R.E. is a non-profit program dependent on private and corporate donations for its success. Conceived by former Los Angeles Police Chief Darrell Gates and brought into reality in 1983 by a joint venture between the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District, D.A.R.E. has spread to all fifty states. In 1993, over 5.5 million children received D.A.R.E.'s sixth grade core curriculum, while 20 million additional children received other components of the D.A.R.E. Program.* The success of D.A.R.E. has also been recorded by the Evaluation and Training Institute and the National Institute of Justice. A sample of D.A.R.E. students shows**:

		Significantly less substance abuse
		A sharp decrease in school vandalism and truancy
		Improved student work habits
		Reduced tension between ethnic groups
		Reduced gang activity
		A more positive attitude toward police
		Better student rapport with teachers and school officials

*Source: D.A.R.E. of America
**Source: "A Short Term Evaluation of Project D.A.R.E. by Bill Dejung. Published in Journal of Drug Education, 1987.

D.A.R.E. in School
The Rantoul Police Department sends highly-trained D.A.R.E. police officers into area schools. Children in these classrooms build the will power and self-confidence needed to say "no" to drugs. The D.A.R.E. Program follows a carefully structured curriculum, focusing on topics such as personal safety, drug use and misuse, consequences of behavior, resisting peer pressure, building self-esteem, assertiveness training, managing stress without drugs, media images of drug use, role models and support systems.

		A reduction in the supply of controlled substances as a result of reduced demand
		A more positive identification of police officers by children
		Improved decision making in all life situations
		An overall reduction in criminality