The first place to check is always your child’s own school campus; most Los Angeles elementary and middle schools host a program that
offers low-cost enrichment classes on property. Programs like STAR,
CREST, THINK Together, LA’s Best, Beyond the Bell, Prime Time, LACER,
Jaxx Theatricals, and JMG Sportswise all offer a selection of
age-appropriate classes that don’t require leaving school grounds; and
an up side of the down-turned economy is that these programs are able to
recruit some super talented professionals to share their skills. Most
programs offer scholarships and financial aid; we recommend getting aid
applications in early, so that waiting for approval doesn’t interfere
with securing a place in the class your child wants.
Police Activities League
A great source of totally free programming is the Police Activities League, which has been providing educational, athletic, and other
recreational activities to local youth for decades. LAPD’s PAL website
provides contact numbers for local organizers, plus many of LA’s
incorporated communities have local police forces with their own PAL
programs that may be easier to navigate. Santa Monica PAL, for example,
offers free drop-in activities at Virginia and Memorial Parks daily
after school, and Pasadena PAL has a dedicated facility with free
after-school activities.
Boys and Girls Clubs
The folks at the Boys and Girls Club have been doing this since long before anyone ever hyphenated the words “after” “school” and
“enrichment.” For a small annual membership fee, usually around $20,
kids can take part in the club’s sports, arts, homework help, and
computer lab – and even eat a free snack while they’re doing it. Many
local clubs offer daily transport from the public school to the club for
an extra annual fee (prices vary by location). If you want school
pick-up, apply early, as space is limited. The national website has a
page for finding the nearest club by zip code.
YMCA
Another national organization with a long history of kids’ programming is the YMCA – and as we all know, it’s fun to hang at the
YMCA! The nearly 10,000 local kids’ programs across the country vary
some, but not by much. A number of branches in the greater LA area
welcome kids after school for homework help and enrichment classes such
as science, creative writing, cartooning, and computer lessons. Prices
vary by location, and some scholarships are available.
City Parks
Local parks are often a resource worth checking for free and super-cheap programs. LA Parks and Rec, for example, often has
interesting youth programs going on at Barnsdall Arts Park. Torrance
Parks and Rec offers residents a daily after-school program (with
scholarships available), on campus at most of its elementary and middle
schools. Santa Monica offers free daily homework help and other free
after school adventures until 7pm at Virginia Park.
City and County Libraries
Libraries offer a whole lot more than just books, and with multiple branches of the LA County Library and LA City Library, as well as public
library systems in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Burbank, Glendale,
Pasadena, Torrance, Redondo Beach, and Long Beach, there’s always one
close by. While you’re not likely to find daily child care, you can
expect to find free book clubs, homework help, chess clubs, and knitting
classes, as well as opportunities to play Wii, build with Legos, and
create craft projects on a weekly basis.
