Family-centered dual-language school website

Erie Elementary, a nonprofit charter school, had an outdated website that was difficult to manage and not mobile-friendly. Not only was the staff unable to make critical content updates, the lack of a functional website was also an obstacle for fundraising campaigns, admissions, and parent communications. As the COVID-19 pandemic continued and schools pivoted to distance-learning models, Erie Elementary needed a website to provide remote-learning resources to families and to reach new donors to meet their fundraising goals.

I designed and built a new website for Erie Elementary. Now, the staff can easily edit and create content, and they are proud to have a functional, responsive website that serves as a one-stop shop for remote-learning resources, admissions, and fundraising. 

Impact

• Credit card donations increased by 700% from the year-end fundraiser in 2019 to the same fundraiser in 2020. The website made it easier to make donations online, so donors didn’t need to send checks by mail as they did in previous years.
• Erie Elementary is a dual-language school, so we made sure to publish the website in both English and Spanish. 50% of the school’s families speak Spanish as their first language and preliminary data shows that the Spanish website receives about 94 visits per month. Spanish-speaking families are now able to access critical information without a language barrier.
• Students now see themselves reflected and represented in the website imagery. This helps boost confidence and promote a sense of belonging, which is especially important for students of color who may be the first in their family to attend college.