Altadena summer camp where 6-year-old drowned was operating without a license
PLEASE NOTE: The following breaking news is important for a number of reasons. The mission of this foundation is to eliminate preventable childhood drowning and to demand that we adults are accountable for the choices we make and the actions we take. The foundation is close to introducing legislation that will require California camps to be licensed. According to medical and first responder documents and also multiple taped interviews, Roxie drowned due to the negligence of Summerkids staff. Our legislative action will finally require adults who own and operate such camps to prioritize the health and safety of children over operational shortcuts that increase profits. The foundation believes that children who attend camps deserve, at the very least, background checks, safe facilities, appropriately trained and certified staff, and full accountability of camp operators. Finally, we must clarify a few matters related to the below article. Summerkids operator Cara Di Massa and her family knowingly ran the camp for decades without a proper child care license. Di Massa also operated a winter camp in December after she was repeatedly advised by the Department of Social Services about her violation of law. She even solicited for her 2020 summer camp in defiance of that same law. If the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Community Care Licensing or the American Camp Association permit, license, accredit or fail to penalize this or any other camp in violation of both the law and of essential health and safety measures for children, this foundation will stop at nothing to draw state/nationwide attention to the dangers that such irrefutable neglect has and will continue to afford.
By Bradley Bermont | bbermont@scng.com | Pasadena Star News
PUBLISHED: January 6, 2020 at 5:34 pm | UPDATED: January 6, 2020 at 5:35 pm
Months after a 6-year-old drowned at Summerkids Camp in Altadena, the California Department of Social Services has investigated and cited the company for operating a child day care facility without a license.
The agency may ultimately impose a fine or other civil penalties, according to spokesman Scott Murray. The move comes after an unannounced inspection in early November, according to a report the agency filed.
[MEOW MEOW FOUNDATION CORRECTION: Multiple inspections began in August. The report was filed in November.]
The camp started the license application process one week after the visit, the report says. Camp Director Cara DiMassa told investigators the camp intends to have a permit “by fiscal year 2020-2021.” The fiscal year begins July 1.
Still, Murray said the agency hasn’t yet received a license application.
Despite decades of operation, Summerkids has never had the appropriate license, which is required for most companies or facilities running child care facilities in California, save for schools. Even so, some summer camps, such as those run by the YMCA or the Boy Scouts of America, are exempt from the day care licensing requirements.
Camp officials thought they qualified.
In an email to this news group, Summerkids wrote: “Under California law, organized camps are exempt from certain regulations concerning child care licensing. As soon as we learned of this issue, Summerkids took immediate steps to address the matter with relevant authorities. We expect the matter to be fully resolved before camp opens for the summer session.”
[MEOW MEOW FOUNDATION CLARIFICATION: Di Massa is wrong. Per the Department of Social Services, Di Massa’s business model has been a child day care facility. DSS said “this camp requires a license due to not meeting the standards of being exempt from licensure which poses an immediate Health, Safety or Personal Rights risk to children in care.”]
The camp is closed for the season, but if it opens for the summer without a license, it could be fined $200 per day, the report says. Right now, Murray said the agency “is in the process of reviewing and evaluating the possible assessment of civil penalties.”
[MEOW MEOW FOUNDATION CORRECTION: The camp was not in fact closed for the season. Di Massa ran a winter camp after being repeatedly notified that she was operating in violation of the law.]
In addition, the camp is not accredited by the American Camp Association, a nonprofit that requires camps to meet some basic standards before they’re accredited, the report reads.
DiMassa told investigators Summerkids had also begun that process.
The investigation originated from an anonymous complaint submitted to the state agency in August, Murray said. A second anonymous complaint was filed in December, more than a month after investigators made an unannounced visit to the camp.
Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas — parents of Roxie Forbes, the 6-year-old who drowned in the camp’s pool over the summer despite the presence of counselors and lifeguards — said they did not submit either complaint.
If the American Camp Association does accredit Summerkids Camp, the Pasadena couple has threatened to “make a nationwide statement,” saying the association “accredits camps that kill children, cover up the circumstances and violate state law.”
Forbes and Matyas filed a lawsuit against the camp last month, alleging the group’s “negligent hiring, retention, supervision and training” practices led to the wrongful death of their daughter.
Roxie, whom the camp designated as a “nonswimmer,” according to detective reports, was found floating face down in the pool on June 28, despite the presence of counselors and lifeguards. When emergency responders arrived, she was in full cardiac arrest. Although they ultimately managed to resuscitate the 6-year-old, she was left in a coma and died the next day.
Currently, camps are subjected to very few licensing requirements.
That could change soon if Forbes and Matyas have their way. They’re currently working with state legislators on new licensing laws for camps. If passed, it would be called the Roxie Rules Act, Forbes said.