Seaford Woman Receives Advocate of the Year Award

A Hofstra University educator from Seaford has been honored for her advocacy work on behalf of early childhood education.

Susan Vignati, assistant director of the Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute at Hofstra’s Joan and Arnold Saltzman Community Services Center, was named the recipient of the Margo O’Connor Advocate of the Year Award. This honor is bestowed by the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc., in collaboration with the Nassau County Association for the Education of Young Children (NCAEYC).

Vignati received the award on June 1 at the “Stand for Children” celebration held at the Children’s Garden in East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park. The celebration marks the anniversary of the first “Stand for Children” rally in Washington D.C. in 1996, and is aimed at bringing attention to the need for affordable, accessible, high-quality child care and early education. 

Vignati joined the staff of the Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute in 2001. Previously, she held the position of early childhood education and child development associate (CDA) trainer/advisor for Nassau County Head Start.  She also held the position of adjunct assistant professor at Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus in the department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Vignati, who has more than 30 years of practical experience in the field of early childhood education, holds a bachelor’s degree from Adelphi University and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Hofstra. She is past president of the Nassau County Association for the Education of Young Children (NCAEYC) and has been a member of many early childhood quality education committees such as the Stand for Children Committee through the Child Care Council and The Early Years Institute Advisory Committee Quality Circle. The Seaford resident also was board vice president for the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Child Care Center and is a Child Development Associate representative for the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C.