I've thought a lot about this. My schools didn't have them either. Neither did my son's. But, near my son's school was a public outdoor pool, a YMCA indoor pool, and a private club with both an indoor and an outdoor pool. Lot's of kids left school in the afternoons for a programs at the Y, inlcuding swimming. And, in the hottest time of the summer, even the private club pool opened for free to the community. Also, some athletic departments use local pools for their training programs.

Schools already spend a huge part of their budget on athletics. What if the school districts used part of that athletic budget for the use of the pools in their area? Most pools sit almost completely empty through the early and middle parts of the day; and completely empty through cool weather months. Many neighborhoods can't bring in pools to their local community centers because they aren't commercially viable. Why couldn't schools pay those existing pool clubs and community center for the use of their pools? You'd see more pools being built in local community centers and more pool clubs turning a more consistent profit.

It's not even something that would have to be added to the regular school day. Make it like the programs at the Y. They exist for kids after school in place of daycare. Make programs like that standard scheduling for children. That solves the massive daycare expense issue for poor families too.