The highly acclaimed program gives children the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, or violence. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in nearly 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in 52 countries around the world. The program, developed jointly by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District, initially focused on elementary school children. It has now been expanded to include middle school and high school students. More than 2 million people living in the U.S. and Canada are treated for burns every year.
Thousands die as the result of their injuries.
Burn injury, whether accidental or inflicted, remains one of the leading causes of childhood death and disfigurement in the United States. 75 percent of burn injuries and deaths are believed to be preventable. Each year over one million children are injured, and 3,000 children die as a result of burn trauma. And those who survive suffer from permanent scarring, physical deformity, and social isolation.