Designing Your Web Site

In “Decoding Technology: Web Site Development and Design — Part 1”, in the November issue of Exchange, Tim Walker and Chip Donohue shared some tech tips for developing and designing a Web site for your early childhood program.

• Plan ahead — Before you begin to create a Web site, try to answer the following questions: What is my Web site going to be about? Who do I want to visit my Web site? What information do I have to share? How do I make sure people will keep visiting my Web site?
• Remember first impressions are hard to erase — Web site layout and design is very subjective but there are a few basic guidelines you can follow. Divide and organize your content into logical sections. Make sure your homepage is eye-catching and simple to navigate. Use a consistent theme (e.g., style, colors, fonts) throughout your entire site. Have others regularly review your site for ease of use, edits, and broken links.
• Start simple — Create a basic Web page with HTML. Type up your code using the Notepad (Microsoft® Windows® users) or TextEdit (Macintosh® users) feature and save with an .html file extension. Open the file in a Web browser to preview it.

The second part of this three-part series will be published in the January issue of Exchange.

We need your Web site best practices

The March issue of Exchange will feature the third part of the Decoding Technology series on Web site development and design. In that article Tim Walker and Chip Donohue will identify some of the best practices in Web site design, functionality, and content for early childhood programs. They are interested in seeing the way Web sites have been designed and are being used by child care centers and family child care homes. If you have built a Web site for your program and would like to share it with Tim and Chip, please e-mail Chip Donohue at [email protected] and include your name, the program name, and location and the URL for your Web site.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site