D.A.R.E stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.  It is a ten-week program taught to all fifth grade students who attend school within the municipal boundaries of the City of Winter Haven.  The D.A.R.E. program reaches children at the age where they are most receptive to drug prevention. Project D.A.R.E. seeks to prevent adolescent drug use and reduce drug trafficking by eliminating the demand for drugs. D.A.R.E provides students with the tools they need to build a better life and a brighter future.

The program teaches children to identify and resist social pressures to use drugs. D.A.R.E instills a sense of self-confidence and the will power kids need in order to resist drugs.  

The D.A.R.E. program has been taught by Officer Terry Bowden of the Winter Haven Police Department since 1994.  Over 8500 students have successfully completed the D.A.R.E. program since its inception.   This program has tremendously impacted our community.

Additionally, D.A.R.E. Officer Terry Bowden visits kindergarten through fourth grade classes, conducts faculty workshops, actively participates in community projects and presents programs to Parent/Teacher organizations.

D.A.R.E was originally developed by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1983. Conceived on the premise that prevention is the only long term answer to our drug problem, this innovative program is now being taught nationwide and in forty countries.