Milwaukee Recreation Enrichment & After-School Programs

Milwaukee Recreation Enrichment & After-School Programs include activities such as music, sports, arts and crafts, fitness, wellness, life skills, outdoor education, aquatics, therapeutic recreation, driver education, girls flag football, and youth swim teams. The programs also include Special Olympics competitions, adaptive programs for individuals with disabilities, school-based youth sports, recreational adult sports, evening opportunities for teens and young adults, and school-based club sports.

• Ages: 3–18 years old

Milwaukee Recreation was established in 1911. Its stated mission is to enrich and strengthen the community through memorable recreational and educational experiences for people of all ages and abilities. Milwaukee Recreation offers over 1,200 total enrichment activities per season, with more than 100 Milwaukee Public Schools hosting programs annually and over 100 schools and community locations programmed each year. The department is developing a new community center in northwest Milwaukee with a target opening date of spring 2027, which will include a gym, a pool, green space, a playground, and multi-purpose rooms. Milwaukee Recreation is also working to renovate its network of 52 playfields using neighborhood input and an equity-based model, and there are 52 playfields located throughout Milwaukee.

Leagues offered through Milwaukee Recreation include school-based youth sports, recreational adult sports, evening opportunities for teens and young adults, Special Olympics competitions, adaptive programs for individuals with disabilities, and school-based club sports. Personnel include over 100 full-time program and clerical staff, plus approximately 1,500 part-time employees hired annually, and qualified staff members are described as dedicated to keeping young people safe and engaged with new activities. Four seasonal guides are mailed to every City of Milwaukee household. An assistant director oversees outdoor recreation facility operations at 52 locations and manages a $23 million budget, after-school program management for more than 100 locations, human resource operations for more than 2,000 part-time employees, and technological services for the department. The Community Schools program is a partnership between Milwaukee Public Schools and Milwaukee Recreation in collaboration with partners representing unions, universities, philanthropy, and government, as well as school staff, families, youth, and community residents.

Last updated July 27, 2026.