Bob, you are in good company on your misgivings. As pertains to Little League for instance, Yogi Berra felt much the same way as you. He thought that these organized leagues that are dependent on parents taking the kids to and from, and hanging around in the stands waiting for little Johnny or Timmy to get his one at bat and chasing butterflies in rt field was not the way to go. He thought that pick-up neighborhood games organized by the kids, for the kids on a drop in and drop out basis, playing work-up 500 and whatever the kids come up with actually had more kids playing and learning on their own than all the coaching to a farethewell, and doting on the little kiddies.
At the risk of sounding like 'old man Daley' the crabby old goat down the street, when we were kids, in my very blue collar neighborhood, the summer days would have an ongoing baseball game of sorts (sometimes several kids on a side, sometimes 4 orr 5 kids on a side depending on who was coming and going. The game would be on from 8Am to dark, obviously with exceptions and some down days, etc. The same in the Fall. There would be anything from a tackle football to a smear game going on all day in the fields around the neighborhood.
First Tee is only different in that it depends on a real maintained facility. Sure, kids could go in an open space and hit balls in <100-150 yard shots and shag them (most urban parks don't allow it). That brings more adult supervision and facilities management and other considerations into it, and precludes "pick-up" sort of matchplays and such, generally speaking. And, it is more likely that a private club is the only place that might resemble a golf facility where kids can drop in and make up mathes and such on an ad hoc basis. Some muni's might be possible, but not many daily fee or other forms of public courses can cut out that much free or open tee times to allow such. Thus the idea of disadvantaged kids having drop-in sort of access is sort of opposite of the whole scene in private clubs or public.
I'm afraid that in golf's case, first tee may not be the best vehicle to bring recreation and sporting development to our disadvantaged kids. It seems it is just too facilities dependent.