Hi caramel,

I'm not sure what grade level you're talking about, but at my daughter's elementary school, it doesn't cost the school any money to bring in extra curriculars. Some after school programs are as simple as contacting a "Y" program to teach after school or an enrichment program in science, cooking, language, or music. Some of the after school tutorial companies will do it after school as well.

They charge a set amount per student, and then the school collects that amount from the parents (and a little more if they'd like it to be a fundraiser). So an 8-week class with a $5 per week cost might be $40 and then the school tacks on another $10 to make the class $50 per session. The ones I've heard of even offer the school "x" number of scholarships for every so many enrolled so the school can permit children with limited financial means to participate.

Some like the tutorials might do it free once a week in exchange for being able to pass out their materials at the school.

Talk to the principal and find out *why* they don't have such a program already, and if it's because of the lack of a volunteer for the job, then jump at the chance. You'll get to seek out the programs you're most interested in, present them to the principal/site council/etc., and be an agent of change in a very big way.

Good luck!

Bring the topic up to the principal and start talking to the school board for a fundraiser if the school is concerned about money

As a freshman in Highschool, I think that extra curricular activities are incredibly important when it comes to social abilities and teamwork. Try suggesting starting some clubs and sports to your child's school.

What grade level is your child? What type of extracurricular activities would you like to see? Daycare, or actual enrichment activities? In some cases, it is a funding issue, in other cases it is a lack of personnel to conduct the programs, and often it is both...
There are some guidelines that say programs on school grounds can't discriminate against anyone, so a few years ago an athiest brought a lawsuit, and that meant girl and boy scout meetings (which mention God) could no longer be held on school properties.
I've coached Lego League and Destination Imagination at my son's elementary school, but we were lucky to have a lot of parent volunteers.
I wonder if you've got a PTA at the school, who might be willing to sponsor an "activity week" rather than year-round events to start with...Some of the choices at my son's school were "animal adventures" (local pet stores brought in exotic critters for kids to learn about and interact with) and "pottery painting" and "kitchen chemistry" (like make play-doh from scratch) and "youth yoga."