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Pay to Play
The Expense of Extracurricular Activities
By Teri Brown
Even so, the benefits to a child active in sports far outweigh the expense. Mike Silverman, director of sports for the City Parks Foundation in New York City, believes that all children should have a chance to play sports. The City Parks Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that offers park programs throughout New York's five boroughs. Silverman oversees free or low-cost sports programs in over 50 New York City parks that reach approximately 12,000 children each year. They offer instruction in three primary sports: tennis, golf and track and field. Silverman has seen firsthand how sports can impact a child's life.
"Sports provide a wide variety of physical, social and psychological benefits for children," says Silverman. "Benefits include helping children develop motor skills, making new friends, getting exercise, learning teamwork and social skills, understanding fair play and sportsmanship and improving self-esteem."
Childhood obesity due to inactivity is on the rise, and sports offer kids a critical outlet to combat this growing trend through participation in regular activity. But how can parents, especially those who may have more than one child, afford organized sports?
"In general, introductory sports are less expensive than more advanced training, which usually demands more personal attention, which leads to more cost," says Silverman. "Assuming parents seek out qualified instructors, there is no need for them to pay for expensive introductory programs for their kids, although many do."
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