Curley Center administrator placed on leave as city investigates drowning death of young boy

Maybe start with No Texting while watching kids at the beach rule and have more adult supervisors watching over the teen counselors. I don't know why this tragedy happened but I do know what I see with my own eyes.

My friend's son started work at one of these drop in camps a few years ago and he said it was a nightmare. They never knew how many kids were coming to camp on any given day. They did not know the kids who were coming. The staff were poorly trained high school kids. There were a lot of behavior problems with the kids. The camp was free and her son said people used it like free babysitting. He ended up quitting because it was just chaos.

A few years ago I signed my daughter up for a low cost YMCA summer camp. Day one she came home without her shoes (she was 5 years old) - she lost them. Day two she came home without her clothes. Day three she had a sunburn. I applied sunscreen in the morning and sent some with her in her backpack, but she was only 5 years old and she needed help reapplying the sunscreen and no one would help her. Day four she came home with pink eye and there was no day five - we were done. One of the other mothers said she went early to the swimming area (Hale Reservation) to pick up her daughter, and all she saw were a bunch of teenagers on towels talking to each other, or on their cell phones. No one was watching the kids.

That was the last time I ever sent my daughter to a camp like that. Now she goes to a camp where the counselors are all adults (mostly teachers) and the assistant counselors are college students. This camp is much better at supervising the children, everything comes home every day, and they help apply sunscreen. The camp is very expensive, but her safety is worth every penny.

I hate to say it, but you get what you pay for, and if it is free or cheap then don't expect much.

It is a tragedy that this little boy died, and I am sure that lack of proper supervision is what led to his drowning.

Parents need to checkout the programs they send their children to and make sure they are of high quality, with solid supervision.

As someone who runs a similar program this is tough. We are much smaller (only about 13 kids right now with 2 adult staff and 6 or 7 teens on any given day) and only half day but free. A child's tragic death during summer camp does not fall on the parents. At the end of the day if it is because of bad communication, under trained teen staff,the student her/himself, or just oversight it falls on the camp administrators. I know how easy it can be to lose track of a kid and I'm sure it happens all of the time with little or no consequence (it has happened to me in my program) but that is our job and it is crucial especially in dangerous situations. As frustrating it is to sometimes see teen employees paying more attention to each other/their phones/other distractions than the students it is our job to remind them. My group was at Carson yesterday and I must have counted my (albeit small) group 50 times in 3 hours even if I was sure they were all there, even with some parents present.The teen counsellors are staff but adults should know their limits and have reasonable expectations. While this may be a tragic accident the responsibility falls on the adults in charge of running this camp and accounting for students. Calling the parents at fault and saying "you get what you pay for" is disgraceful and comes from position of privilege.

Man, I just can't get over the hatefulness on this thread. When j was a young mom and lived in Boston I sent my kid to a camp that we could afford. I knew it wasn't awesome but we had to work and had no support system. To think that if a tragedy had befallen my daughter you armchair blame gamers would have taken me to task for bad parenting. The real crime is that now our circumstances have improved and we are lucky enough to live in a town that provides cheap and safe summer recreation camps run by teachers from the school. Of course it's only accessible to the upper middle class families who don't truly need it. I am so horribly sorry for this family and for the way their tragedy is compounded by such inhuman thoughtlessness.

Such a loss is a terrible tragedy.

But let's read carefully what is being conveyed.

There is a program called a "Summer program" or "camp" that is specifically licensed and which has specific sign-in and out policies with full day care credentials.

The BCYF department has also been operating "summer drop in" sessions all over the city for kids 6-18 years but it is STRESSED over and over that this is not a babysitting service nor summer camp. All the literature says this. It is a program where neighborhood kids can come in play and then leave, in their own neighborhoods.

If parents are bringing their kids there and leaving them unattended, they are misunderstanding the program. It is very likely that the staff explained this. Any drop in program that I have experience with is very careful to do this.

BUT - and this is a big BUT - if the kid walks in from the neighborhood they will be accepted to play and be watched, but they can leave anytime and go home. Many of these drop in programs also provide a breakfast and lunch free for any kids that wants to stop in fo ra meals as well.

This is set up as a community service.

If parents want a fully licensed and secured summer camp program, those are also available with fully certified (specifically trained) child care staff.

I also think it is a darn shame that the administrator of that facility was put on leave. Such a person rarely leaves their office and is not on the front lines to watch kids. But our society needs a human sacrifice when things like this happens. It was not that person's fault what so ever, bit often just to show that something was done, the City will take disciplinary action just to appease people who need an outward sign.

This year the number of citywide drop in locations was cut back drastically.

Psychic prediction... due to this there will likely be no drop in locations fo rkids next year.

Maybe there will be more staffed and certified summer camps but the city cannot provide that with who and what they have. It will have to be people specifically hired fo rthat job and licensed accordingly, and that will cost you $$$.

Here's a thought... Last year the Healy Playground in Roslindale had such a drop in session. They mat in the play area by the swimming pool. Most of the kids walked in from the neighborhood, all ages 6-12 on average. When the kids got tired of playing there with supervision, or it got too hot, they could leave and go home. What happens if the kid leaving gets hit by a car?

Same thing really. In this case the child wandered away from the Curley Center and went under the water.

Again, this is a terrible loss of a beautiful child, but people need to know what they are getting into here and what is being provided... and what is not. Sadly, now a senior administrator is in deep sneakers and that person was not at fault.

DROWNING IN REAL LIFE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MOVIES. KNOW THE SIGNS, SAVE A LIFE.

1. They can’t call for help—she has to be able to breathe before she can speak. When a person is drowning, her mouth sinks below and reappears above the surface of the water. There isn’t time for her to exhale, inhale, and call out.

2. They can’t wave for help either. A drowning person instinctively extends her arms to the sides and presses down to lift her mouth out of the water; a child may extend her arms forward. She can’t use her arms to move toward a rescuer or reach for rescue equipment.

3. They remain upright in the water, with no evidence of kicking. She can struggle for only 20 to 60 seconds before going under.

4. Their eyes are glassy, unable to focus, or closed.

5. Their face may be hard to see; hair may be over forehead or eyes.

6. Their Head is low in the water, with mouth at water level; head may be tilted back with mouth open. A child’s head may fall forward.

7. They are quiet. Children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you need to get to them and find out why.

8. They don’t seem in distress. Sometimes the most important indicator that someone is drowning is that she doesn’t look like she’s drowning. She may just seem to be looking up at the sky, shore, pool deck, or dock. Ask her, “Are you all right?” If she can answer at all, she probably is. If she returns a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to her.