Case study: DJ-PreSchool - best solution for a Joomla or WordPress WCAG website
DJ-PreSchool is a WCAG Quickstart website, designed specifically for kindergartens. The accessible and user-friendly platform caters to the diverse needs of both students and educators, ensuring an inclusive and engaging online learning environment.
Developed for two popular content management systems, Joomla and WordPress, both versions of DJ-PreSchool leverage the powerful capabilities of the YOOtheme Pro web builder. This case study delves into the unique attributes and functionalities of these platforms, shedding light on how they contribute to creating seamless and accessible digital experiences for kindergarten communities.
As we embark on this journey, we will examine key aspects such as design aesthetics, user interface, content management, and adherence to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). By focusing on these critical elements, we aim to showcase how DJ-PreSchool's WCAG Quickstart websites empower kindergartens to foster an inclusive, interactive, and educational online presence.
DJ-PreSchool for Joomla and WordPress
DJ-PreSchool WCAG quickstart website is available in two versions, for Joomla 4.x and for WordPress.
Joomla 4.x version
It’s a ready to use, an online shop based on Joomla 4.x, DJ-Accessibility plugin, DJ-Popup plugin, DJ-ContentFilters plugin, DJ-AudioList plugin and YOOtheme Pro web builder.
WordPress version
It’s a ready to use, an online shop based on WordPress, DJ-Accessibility plugin, DJ-Popup plugin, DJ-AudioList plugin and YOOtheme Pro web builder.
Accessible site main layout elements
The fundamental elements essential for a contemporary and efficient WCAG site are the focus of our blog post.
Homepage
It serves as the central display of the educational site, acting as the initial point of interaction for visitors. It contains key elements such as the brand logo, important details, relevant visual elements and user-friendly features. In addition, the site plays a key role in hosting important elements such as the lessons, teachers stuff, and other information.
About us page
At DJ-Preschool, instead of a standard page introducing the preschool, we have divided the "about us" section into three elements: programs, pricing and teachers.
Programs
Displaying school programs on a kindergarten website is positive for transparency and setting clear expectations for parents. It showcases the educational philosophy and attracts prospective families by providing detailed insights into the curriculum and activities. This information supports academic planning, enhances communication, and encourages community involvement, fostering a positive learning environment.
Pricing
The pricing of a kindergarten website is crucial for budget considerations, fostering transparency and trust with parents, assessing the value proposition of features offered, planning for scalability, enabling comparative analysis with other solutions, and evaluating the return on investment. In essence, it plays a pivotal role in financial planning and decision-making for kindergartens.
Teachers
The "Teachers" section is vital for introducing, connecting, and communicating with parents and students. It serves as a valuable tool for building trust, promoting transparency, and fostering a positive and collaborative learning community within the kindergarten.
"For parents" section
We used a similar method for the section intended for parents. It is divided into sections: News, Nutrition, FAQ.
News
The "News" section is a dynamic and essential component of a kindergarten website. It facilitates effective communication, promotes engagement, showcases achievements, and contributes to the overall positive and transparent image of the kindergarten within the community.
Nutrition
The "Nutrition" page is a useful element as it promotes health, transparency, and community engagement. It builds parental confidence by providing information about balanced meals, allergens, and nutritional content. The page serves as an educational resource, fostering collaboration between the kindergarten and parents in promoting healthy eating habits.
FAQ
The "FAQ" section is designed to collect effective answers to frequently asked questions. This is a great section for parents who, especially at the beginning of their adventure with the kindergarten, have many doubts. A properly structured section saves time for both parties.
Gallery
The "Gallery" section is integral to the overall presentation and success of a kindergarten website. It engages parents, showcases the vibrant preschool culture, attracts prospective families, and serves as a valuable visual record of the memorable moments and achievements within the kindergarten community.
Events
The "Events" section plays a crucial role in informing, engaging, and building a sense of community within the kindergarten. It is a dynamic tool for celebrating achievements, promoting the preschool's culture, and attracting prospective parents, contributing to the overall positive and inclusive atmosphere of the educational institution.
As you can see, we've added the "Search" feature, which allows to filter and find events easily.
Songs
Thanks to the implemented DJ-AudioList plugin, website admin can add and display audio files in the form of the playlists. That is an important feature, providing educational value, fostering engagement, supporting learning objectives, and contributing to the overall positive and interactive learning environment for young children.
Contact us
For sure is the "Contact Page" a fundamental element of a kindergarten website. It allows you to locate the kindergarten, provides information on opening hours, all key information for visitors (phone number, email address), and most importantly, allows direct contact.
Key feature of an accessible website
DJ-PreSchool brings the DJ-Accessibility plugin included in the product's price.
It's a WCAG plugin that provides a bunch of options to improve the accessibility of the Joomla or WordPress based website. Accessibility is a key for all websites and the plugin has you covered.
DJ-Accessibility makes a website more accessible for all by providing options like:
- Invert colors, Monochrome, Dark contrast, Light contrast, Low saturation, High saturation, Highlight links, Highlight headings
- Screen reader, Read mode
- Content scaling, Font size, Line height, Letter spacing
The cost of creating the modern WCAG website
DJ-PreSchool quickstart website you can get for €54 only ( 6 months subscription). Of course, you will need a domain and paid hosting to install it. The website, once installed, will be based on the Joomla 4.x or WordPress CMS, which are free.
An additional cost is the purchase of the YOOtheme Pro web builder from the developer's website. Its price is €129 (1 year subscription.)
To sum up - in the amount of less than €200 you receive all the tools needed to launch a modern, functional WCAG web page.
Installation
There are 2 possible ways of the installation.
- Quickstart installation
The Quickstart is the demo backup (.zip copy) from the demo server. It comes with Joomla/WordPress, and you install it like a regular Joomla/WordPress backup made by Akeeba Backup; after that, you get the same effect on demo pages.
You do not need to configure everything from scratch; the installation is easy and will take a few minutes only.
- Installation from scratch
You get a set of files that allows you to install a website based on the DJ-PreSchool template/theme from scratch or install it on an existing website.
More about the installation you can learn from the installation guide:
Summary
DJ-PreSchool solution can be a great choice for kindergarten owners. The template is fully compatible with Joomla 4.x and WordPress. Distinguished by its user-friendly interface and comprehensive feature set, the tool is a standout choice in the market. The process of creating an attractive and fully-functional kindergarten (or other educational institution) website is extremely easy thanks to the quickstart package and advanced web development capabilities of the YOOtheme Pro web builder.
