Ron Kuznetz Receives National “Caring for Children” Award

After close to 50 years of dedication directing camps for children, Ron Kuznetz has been honored with the prestigious National Caring for Children Award, given by AMSkier Insurance in Hawley, PA. 

A resident of Plainview, New York, Kuznetz remembers when his mother, Sue Kuznetz, started a nursery school - aptly named Miss Sue’s Nursery School – in their family’s basement and garage. After graduating from Queens College in 1968 as the only male majoring in early childhood education, Ron came back home to teach at Miss Sue’s Nursery School, and designed and developed a new summer day camp program. The school then became known as “Miss Sue’s Nursery School and Summer Fun Day Camp.”

Fast forward to 2008 when Ron purchased Driftwood Day Camp in Melville along with his son, Mike, and son-in-law Mike Wagenberg (“Wags” - who as a teenager worked for him as a camp counselor). Ron and Wags completely rebuilt and renovated Driftwood, and doubled the enrollment from 250 to 500+ campers in their first year. Soon thereafter, Driftwood Day Camp was recognized as the “Best of Long Island” by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, an honor the camp has received for the past ten consecutive years.

“For the thousands of children who’ve experienced a summer at Driftwood Day Camp, Ron and Wags have provided a gift” remarked Henry Skier, President of AMSkier Insurance. “They not only run the premier camp on Long Island, they run one of the most premier camps in the country.”

Kuznetz has worked with children his entire adult life. Year after year, Miss Sue’s Nursery School and Summer Fun Day Camp is recognized by renowned educators as the leaders in the design and implementation of the most effective creative, cutting-edge Early Childhood programming and curriculum of any preschool on Long Island.

“I am honored and humbled, and I thank AMSkier for this wonderful recognition,” said Ron Kuznetz. “The key to our success at both Miss Sue’s and Driftwood has been to never sit back, and to always look for ways to be better.”

A past president of the Long Island Camp Association, Ron has been a camp director for nearly 50 years. Ron is a former athlete and marathon runner, and was a participant in NASA’s Teacher in Space program. A guest speaker at various American Camping Association national and local conventions, Ron is well known throughout the camp industry as a program innovator, and together with Wags, is the creative force behind Miss Sue’s and Driftwood.

The Caring for Children Award was established in by AMSkier Insurance to recognize camp owners, directors and leaders whose achievements reflect their dedication to provide safe environments for thousands of children and young adults, and whose work has brought pride to themselves, to their families, and to the camp community they serve.