A trio of children playing on a field with a soccer ball in the foreground.
In a world where school ends at 3:30 p.m. and children are not permitted to entertain themselves, we must invest more in providing access to high-quality and free after-school activities. Credit: Canva Credit: Canva

In Canada, the vast majority of children and youth (86 per cent) participate in at least one extra-curricular activity. As incomes rise, so does participation for kids between the ages of 6 and 13, which means some children are registered for half a dozen extra-curricular programs a week. Indeed, there are many well-documented benefits to a variety of after-school activities, from team sports to violin. But do you know how much parents are sacrificing to provide these opportunities?

While the data isn’t particularly fresh, Ipsos Research from 2017 suggests the average Canadian family was spending $1,160 a year on extra-curriculars for their kids. At the time, Ipsos also found, a full 30 per cent of Canadian families were going into debt to fund their children’s co-curriculars. Given the inflation we have seen in intervening years, these numbers could be even worse today. 

Of course, I am only one parent, but judging from the cost of my daughter’s soccer classes and artistic pursuits, I feel comfortable saying that providing one’s little one with after-school fun is a financial burden.

So, what is motivating the families who go into debt to fund guitar lessons or pay for a child’s ballet classes? The truth is, there are a lot of factors at play here, and none of them are a parent’s fault.

Back in the 1950s, it was socially acceptable to allow one’s children to play in the streets until dinner time; however, the days of road hockey have been replaced by regimented and well chaperoned activities. While this isn’t always parental preference, unsupervised kids can get you a call from the local Children’s Aid Society. Copious amounts of time spent on the couch watching screens is also frowned upon. And so, keeping kids in co-curriculars feels like the most practical solution for many parents.

Further, many popular extra-curriculars foster useful skills that will empower children for the rest of their lives. For example, it is a privilege to be able to have after-school music lessons for one’s child, and one that has been proven to boost test scores and improve mental health. The issue isn’t parents wanting their kids to learn the violin; the issue is a crumbling welfare state where schools are so under-funded they often don’t have after-school sports, robust music programs, or an annual musical production. The upshot is that parents who want their kids to be exposed to learning beyond the core curriculum must open their wallets…

As a mother myself, I am not suggesting we return to the days when unattended six year-olds roamed the streets with a pack of friends, kicking a ball around a back alley. I do think there is a benefit to making sure kids are safe and at least somewhat supervised. However, in a world where school ends at 3:30 p.m. and children are not permitted to entertain themselves, we must invest more in providing access to high-quality and free after-school activities.

Yes, I know my local community centre in Toronto provides ballet classes for around $6 a week (which can still be a lot for some families), but try getting your child into such programs, given their limited availability! Judging by the waitlists I have seen for my community centre’s swim classes, lots of kids are falling through the extra-curricular cracks.  

So, I am going to make a bold declaration: the time has come to stop defunding children, which is exactly what we are doing when schools are forced to cut activities like after-school sports teams or choir due to a lack of money. Calling it anything else is naive, and frankly, insulting to the intelligence of Canadian families. 

If kids are expected to stay active after-school, let’s make sure those activities are both free and readily available.