Free and $10 park programs: which one applies where you live
Los Angeles has two separate parks systems, and which one serves you depends on whether your address is inside the City of Los Angeles or in unincorporated county territory. LA County Parks runs free drop-in afterschool programming; the City of LA charges about $10 a season for youth sports with waivers available.
- LA County — Every Body Plays
- Free, ages 7–17, weekdays 2:30–6 p.m., no registration
- Season
- 1 September 2026 through 21 May 2027
- City of LA — PlayLA
- About $10 per sport, waivers for households under about $91,000
- South LA-area county sites
- Athens, Jesse Owens, Ted Watkins, Roy Campanella, Magic Johnson, Ladera, Alondra
City of LA vs unincorporated county parks programs
Several of the highest-Black-share communities in Los Angeles County are not inside any city. View Park-Windsor Hills is about 70% Black. Ladera Heights is about 64%. Willowbrook, Athens and West Rancho Dominguez are all unincorporated too.
That means the County serves them, not the City. A parent in Windsor Hills who is told to sign up for PlayLA has been sent to an agency that does not serve their address — and most people, reasonably, conclude there is nothing available and stop looking. The free program that does serve them is Every Body Plays.
Every Body Plays: free LA County park afterschool
No registration, no fee, no income test. A child aged 7 to 17 can walk into a participating county park on a weekday afternoon. Programming includes coding labs, STEM activities, sports and homework help.
The county also runs Our SPOT teen centres at sixteen unincorporated sites, and Parks After Dark in the summer.
PlayLA: $10 youth sports and fee waivers
Inside the City of Los Angeles, Recreation and Parks runs youth sports seasons at about $10 per sport — judo is on the list — with fee waivers for households under roughly $91,000. This is registration-based, so there are sign-up windows.
Free and $10 park programs FAQs
- How do I know if I live in the City of LA or unincorporated county?
- Your mailing address may say "Los Angeles" either way, which is what makes this confusing. View Park-Windsor Hills, Ladera Heights, Willowbrook, Athens, West Rancho Dominguez and East Los Angeles are unincorporated county. If you are unsure, the county registrar's address lookup will tell you.
- Does Every Body Plays cost anything?
- No. It is free drop-in programming for ages 7 to 17 on weekday afternoons at participating LA County parks, with no registration required.
- Is PlayLA free?
- Not quite — it is about $10 per sport season, and the City offers fee waivers for households earning under roughly $91,000 a year.
Facts on this page were verified 2026-09-12. Districts change operators mid-year and charters change their amounts — confirm with the agency before you plan around anything here.