ALTADENA, Calif. — Parents who lost their child at an Altadena day camp are sounding the alarm and calling for better regulations and oversight at camps.
Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas’ daughter Roxie Forbes drowned at Summerkids camp in Altadena in 2019.
Forbes says the camp told them Roxie would be kept next to the shallow step area and without a life jacket so she could learn how to swim. He says the camp told him four lifeguards were around including one in the pool with dozens of kids.
“Roxie somehow made it from the steps area to approximately 20 feet away from the steps area in water that was about a foot and a half above her head,” Forbes said. “As a learning swimmer, which she was, there is no way to protect a child from drowning if they’re not being watched or attended to within an arm's length.”
Roxie’s parents are now suing the camp for wrongful death and the American Red Cross claiming they fraudulently certified counselors as lifeguards.
Months after the incident, Summerkids was cited by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for operating a child day care facility without a license. CDSS says they have filed an injunction against SummerKids to prevent the continued unlicensed operation of the facility. Litigation involving Summerkids is currently ongoing and the court is allowing Summerkids to operate pending the outcome of the litigation.
To date, Summerkids has not applied for a child care license with CDSS.
Summerkids declined two of Spectrum News 1’s requests for comment.
As Forbes and Matyas grieve the loss of their daughter, they’ve learned that many camps in LA County are operating either without a license or don’t have proper licensing for high-risk activities like aquatics.
“Camps that run day programs are not licensed, meaning…background check, any kind of oversight, emergency action plans, training, that goes out the window,” Forbes said. “They don’t have to do any of that.”
LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis said the lack of oversight is alarming.
The county worked with Roxie’s parents to pass a motion on June 8 to address regulatory gaps in children’s activities at camps and public swimming pools.
“Having learned that there’s very little regulation or none at our camps but also at some of our other swimming pools we know that this is something that has to be really seriously taken into account,” Supervisor Solis said. “Making sure we have lifeguards based on the number of children that are going to be supervised, that has to be set, as well as training and CPR for the lifeguards and making sure there are safety measures put in place.”
In addition to policy, Forbes and Matyas are focused on water safety. They started the Meow Meow Foundation in Roxie’s honor to provide free swim lessons for kids at places like the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center where Roxie used to swim.
They want kids to feel safe in the water with trained lifeguards nearby. Matyas says all families need to be aware of water safety.
“No one is drown proof. Regardless of their swimming ability, no one is drown proof,” Matyas said.
Anyone who has concerns or complaints about a camp or public pool can report by calling 211 or contacting the office of one of the county supervisors.