Studying two 'Rs' through the arts

Red Bank - The Children's Cultural Center (CCC), a branch of The Community YMCA, is piloting a new program in coordination with Red Bank Middle School that will give fourth-grade students an opportunity to explore reading and writing through the arts.

Young Authors and Artists Unite!, brings teachers from the CCC to the middle school to incorporate book arts and illustrating, as well as cultural learning, poetry and folktales, into the writing curriculum. The program is made possible through a $1,000 grant from The Gibson Foundation to support Y Arts programs at the CCC.

Young Authors and Artists Unite! began the week of April 23 and will be held Wednesdays and Thursdays for six weeks. Throughout the program, each fourth-grade class will meet with a teacher from the CCC to work on creative reading and writing activities.

The six-week program will end with a visit to Diney's Place, home of the Children's Cultural Center, 51 Monmouth St. in Red Bank, for a celebration and exhibit of the students' artistic creations.

For more information on the arts and cultural outreach programs offered through the CCC, call (732) 842-7177, or visit the CCC link on www.TheCommunityYMCA.org.