WHISTLEBLOWERS

Multiple whistleblowers who either worked at Summerkids or were otherwise affiliated with the DiMassas have come forward. We have agreed to protect their identities. A number of them said they feared the DiMassa family. The following comprise a few examples. As a journalist, I have a dual obligation to protect sources from physical, emotional, financial, reputational or other harm.

Should you or someone you know wish to share information, you can do so by clicking here. We honor all requests for anonymity. We also encourage people to consider making public comments.

Whistleblower #1

This whistleblower described the DiMassas as “a scary pack of people” responsible for a “sinister manifestation of gross culture” and “systematic negligence of the Summerkids' administration and staff.” The person said the DiMassas have established a “terrible, money-hungry culture that I observed while I was an employee there — as well as their persistent lack of safety measures. I imagine that what I have to say will leave you more devastated and angry, so if you would prefer not to reply I completely understand.” Asked to remain anonymous, the whistleblower said, “Though I have completely disassociated myself with Summerkids, the Dimassa family still scares me.” This person repeatedly apologized for not approaching us earlier but was very intimidated about potential consequences.

As a former Summerkids attendee and counselor, this person said the DiMassas had children as young as two in their pool with counselors who were never properly trained or trained at all in lifeguarding and water safety. This person said the DiMassas had “a way of making you feel like you were part of a special club” but also that you had to have an unquestionable allegiance to them.

A Junior Counselor was perilously close to being paralyzed after free-climbing a tree “in a bootleg act,” falling violently and breaking [his] pelvis. Owner Joe DiMassa wanted to move this injured counselor but, fortunately, other counselors warned him against doing that because of potential head and spinal injuries. This whistleblower said that, every summer, someone broke a bone, but other serious health issues or injuries also occurred. “After any injury, the [DiMassa] family would send out a PR letter to the effect of it not being their fault and everything is normal.”

The person said that the DiMassas let the camp operate like a free-for-all… they should have been far more safety-regimented with counselor behavior and overall programming. The whistleblower said counselors always had their phones on them, despite Cara DiMassa’s claims that counselors were not allowed to possess them during operational time.

With regard to the pool, the whistleblower said counselors were often bored and used pool time to tan or chat with other counselors. This person said “there was no vigilance, never any refresher training or real safety orientation." The person said counselors would often walk away from their lifeguard positions to speak with other counselors outside the pool fence while children were in the over-crowded pool.

This whistleblower said the DiMassas spent more attention on “deescalation of kids having fights.” Cara DiMassa was known to be involved in “constant drama” in which “she would go on rampages… for some reason she would scream at her most cherished counselors” after which she would act as if all was OK. “Cara could flip on you at any moment.” Everyone despised Joe DiMassa, the person said, also citing how he made everyone feel uncomfortable, especially the children, when he demanded that he be in the pool with them. Children would often cry when he would get in the pool.

They were rude to parents who would have to stay late at work or had other conflicts, the person said. “They were like bounty hunters. They would never refund money, so parents would sign their lives away for the summer.” NOTE: This statement does correlate with our experience. The DiMassas withheld our $3,030 tuition check despite killing our daughter during the 10th day they were open in 2019. They said they did not have our address. Our lawyers finally retrieved our money three months later. Here is the check.

The whistleblower said that Joe Natalizio, the nearly 30-year-old counselor at the pool during Roxie’s death, was Cara’s go-to person who consistently felt he had to impress Cara at the expense of other counselors. Although the most “experienced” Summerkids counselor with a decade of service to the. DiMassas, Natalizio ran away from the pool after Roxie was found floating dead. He said he had to move cars for the ambulance, but three other people said the same thing. Natalizio also admitted to abandoning his lifeguard chair while on duty.

This person said that she knew multiple people who had been told that Roxie was autistic or had Down Syndrome and should not have been in the pool. NOTE: This is a vile act by whoever executed and continues to perpetuate it. Even if Roxie had been diagnosed with either condition, it demeans children who have special needs. Roxie was a highly functioning 6-year-old thriving in a dual language immersion program and often known to be the first child to assist and support any peer — or adult — regardless of circumstances.

Cara DiMassa would increase pay by only 25 cents/hour per year, this whistleblower said. She also said counselors were fired under unreasonable circumstances, including those which seemed discriminatory. This person was never fired and knew the operation and the DiMassas well after multiple years in their employ.

Whistleblower #2

A former counselor at Summerkids relayed information about “the abuse” at Summerkids. This person said, “I have wanted to reach out since the loss of Roxie, but in all honesty was too scared to go up against the DiMassa family. But enough is enough.”

This person was assigned lifeguard duty without any training. Cara disregarded the obvious safety concerns and assigned the person to lifeguard that summer. The person assumed it was just going to be “an extra set of eyes for the children not in the pool but around the perimeter.” Cara reprimanded the person for not doing what Cara demanded. “The pool was overcrowded, understaffed and had zero safety protocols. Cara and Joe DiMassa “dismissed serious concerns” about a lack of training.

”Overall, the camp had zero emergency procedures other than to meet at the bottom of the hill in case of a shooting,” the person said. “More than once, when a child needed an ambulance called for a broken bone or a head injury, the counselors were left to corral 300+ children with no instruction or information. After each and every emergency, absolutely no changes were made.”

This person parted ways after years as a junior counselor and counselor.

Whistleblower #3

“I do know that we were not drug tested and a majority (90% ) of the kids that worked there would party together, drink and do drugs like weed and coke and come in hung over a lot!!! I know cause I went to a few of those party’s.”

This whistleblower said, “I think with the amount of kids there in the pool and the risk involved each day, [lack of training] was a bad move on their part. I think the lifeguarding class they provided was less than a half a day. It was like, here’s the info, let’s practice CPR and we were done. The amount of kids in the pool was always more than I felt comfortable with.”

“I can’t imagine how anyone would drown if they were paying attention and knew what to look for. This really pains me to hear about this.....it had to be negligence on the people put there to watch them. Accidents do happen, of course... but an accident is something like a kid hit their head on the side of the pool but was recovered quickly.....If they found her underwater, unconscious, and were unable to revive her, that’s a different story. I would want to know exactly what they did or didn’t do? Was CPR given properly? How long was she under for? This shouldn’t ever happen in my opinion, not with the right people with the right experience. They should drug test their employees before hiring. That was my biggest concern.”

This person said that Water Safety Instructor training was “a one evening thing.” There wasn’t “any water safety that I can remember,” this person said. “If I’m not mistaken, it was only about 2 or 3 hours long.”

Whistleblower #4

While not a counselor or staffer, this person said the DiMassas disregarded multiple mandated permit and safety procedures to avoid the city's intervention in its business. The person was involved with the DiMassas for months and witnessed, firsthand, how the DiMassas took short cuts to avoid paying fees, despite health and safety concerns, especially with a child care business.