January 30, 2004 -- The industry’s education web portal GRAPHIC COMM CENTRAL, http://teched.vt.edu/GCC/, has introduced a new web site to encourage young students to have fun while learning more about the world of printing, publishing and graphic communications and to provide instructional resources for elementary school teachers. GCC 4 Kids! provides links to such entertaining activities as color perception with Crayola Kids, light and optics from Arizona State University, apple printing through Crafts from KidsDomain, leaf printing from Sesame Street Workshop, paper making, a word search and "be a reporter" and "persuasion" activities from Education Kids. GCC 4 Kids! also includes games and history of printing, paper, photography and computers. A section on virtual tours covers a day in the life of a newspaper, an animated history of books, how cameras work and web design for kids. The section with resources for teachers includes links to activities covering printing processes, color and light, desktop publishing, ink jet and laser printers, making a newspaper, paper and print making, photography, printing history and web design. The new web site can be accessed at http://teched.vt.edu/gcc/HTML/GCCKids/ or through a link from the GRAPHIC COMM CENTRAL home page. For information about the site, contact manager Dr. Mark Sanders, Virginia Polytechnic and State University at 540/231-8173, or e-mail [email protected]. GRAPHIC COMM CENTRAL is a non-commercial web site funded by the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF). GCC provides immediate access to more than 4,000 resources selected for teachers and students interested in teaching/learning about a wide range of graphic communication technologies. Nearly two million files are accessed from the GCC site each year. "Educating elementary-age school children about printing, publishing and graphic communications is critical to improving awareness of this large and dynamic industry and attracting a talented workforce for the future," said J. Kenneth Garner, President of United Litho in Ashburn, Virginia, and chairman of GAERF. "GCC 4 Kids! is a wonderful new resource combining learning with fun." The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation was created by the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing, and Converting Technologies and Printing Industries of America (PIA) in 1983. These three national associations jointly own the Graphic Arts Show Company. GAERF was created to channel a portion of the revenues earned by GASC-owned shows into projects supporting a strong future for the industry. In addition to its grants program, which funds projects like GRAPHIC COMM CENTRAL, GAERF manages the PrintED national accreditation program for graphic communications courses of study in secondary and post-secondary schools and the MAKE YOUR MARK in Graphic Communications careers program. For additional information about the Foundation and its programs, visit the GAERF web site at www.gaerf.org or call toll-free at 866/381-9839.