SRQ Daily Columnist Jim Shirley is the executive director for the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.

Most of us appreciate the intrinsic benefits of the arts—their beauty and vision; how they inspire, soothe, provoke, and connect us. As the first week of the 2015/2016 school year draws to a close, I have been reflecting on how fortunate we are that the citizens and educators of our great community have also embraced the critical importance of the arts as a fundamental part of the curriculum for every child in Sarasota County.

The impact of having the arts included in a child’s education has been clearly documented in multiple studies throughout the country. The data demonstrates that the arts support the intellectual and creative development of all children regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic level. Not only do they help children develop and use their artistic talents, they also engage all their senses, improve their concentration and memory and inspire creative thinking. Students who participate in arts courses score higher on standardized tests, have greatly reduced dropout rates and achieve higher grade point averages than those who do not have the arts as a part of their curriculum.

As the umbrella organization for arts and culture in our region, the Arts and Cultural Alliance has been and will remain staunch advocates and supporters for the arts in education. Our member organizations, which include all of the arts and cultural organizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties, provide strong educational programs to support the tremendous work that our professional educators provide in the classroom. In collaboration with our community partners at The Patterson Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the Sarasota County School District, the Science and Environmental Council of Southwest Florida and the Education Foundation of Sarasota, the community has developed a tremendous technology tool called EdExplore that allows teachers to easily locate programs that are readily available to help integrate the arts into their daily curriculum. This program also includes individual teaching artists who use their art forms to enhance the educational experience for children. The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. has selected Sarasota County to be one of a small handful of communities in the Nation to participate in its “Any Given Child” initiative, whose focus is to ensure that every child in our school district will have access to the arts as an integral part of their education.  The School Board of Sarasota County, along with our fabulous Superintendent, Lori White, are active participants in the Community/School Partnership for the Arts, a community partnership that supports the arts educators in our schools.

The week of Sept. 13-19 has been designated “National Arts in Education Week”. We are proud to be part of an enlightened community that truly recognizes the benefits that the arts have on the development of our children and the future of our great Nation. Please join us in thanking our educational and political leaders for their continuing support.

SRQ Daily Columnist Jim Shirley is the executive director for the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.