Web Site Design and Development for Head Start Programs

    Congratulations on your decision to pursue web site development for your Head Start program! We are sure you will be pleased with our knowledge, professionalism, expertise, and experience with both Head Start and with web site development. The Center for Community Futures has been online since 1994. Our goal is to assist you in developing a web site that turns your program’s vision into a reality on the Internet.

Let’s look at what is involved in getting a web site established. (Or, you can download this information in PDF format by clicking here.)

1) Register the Domain Name (URL) (which you approve) and acquire web hosting if needed;

2) Draft the web page design based on your input and materials;

3) Add the information that you send us and/or identify to be included;

4) Send the Web Pages to the Host Server (so it can be published to the Internet);

5) Contact you to review the site and make changes if needed;

6) Once the web site is approved, we can register it with the major Search Engines to increase the number of visitors accessing your site (optional); and

7) Maintain the Web Site FREE for the first year.

8) After the first year, we will co-evaluate the success of your web site and discuss future maintenance options (we charge $480 per year for web site maintenance, or you can maintain the site).

Each of these steps is described below.

    The URL is the physical location of your web site, the address that people type in the browser to view your site. For example, the Center for Community Futures’ domain name is: www.cencomfut.com. 

    The URL should be recognizable, it should be easy to remember, and it should make sense. Using your program’s acronym can make a good URL (such as for Community Action Head Start), or it could be a typical abbreviation of the program’s name, such as:

    We will talk with you about selecting a domain name, and we will also check the availability of the domain name(s) that you want. Once selected and determined available, we will register it with the service provider (required step, and it costs $74.97 for 3 years, without web hosting. With a web hosting package, the cost is reduced. See Section 9).

    We use Microsoft FrontPage software to design and publish web sites.  FrontPage has 14 pre-set themes for you to choose from (see online form below).  There will be ample opportunity for you to review the draft design; we will work on it until it meets with your approval.

    You can select from a list of items commonly found on not-for-profit web sites, and you can add your own items to the list as well.  Scroll down to see the choices. You can use this list to decide what you want included in your web site–and what you don’t.

    From this list and from the materials that you send us, we will add the information to the web site. A typical non-profit program web site can have anywhere from 1 to 100 pages of information. The norm is about 10.

4. SENDING THE WEB PAGES TO THE HOST SERVER (so it can be published to the Internet)

    This step is an internal one in which we send the web site information electronically to a service provider, who in turn publishes it to the Internet. It is after this step that you will be able to see your web site on the Internet for the first time.

    Since you won’t be able to "see" the web site until it has been published on the Internet, we will contact you promptly and ask that you look over the site and provide us with your feedback if any changes need to be made.

    Once your web site is finalized and approved, we can register it with all of the major search engines. This will allow increased visibility of the web site on the Internet, and it will result in more "hits" (visits) to your web site.

7. MAINTAINING THE WEB SITE In Year One.

    Once the web site is up and running, we will maintain it for FREE for the first year. Web site maintenance involves at a minimum:

8. FUTURE: After the first year, we will co-evaluate the success of your web site and discuss future maintenance options. Future maintenance options include:

a) Having us maintain your web site for the subscription rate of $480 per year.

b) Having web site responsibility transferred to you or to a designated third party.

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9. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENT.

    The cost for us to establish and run a web site for your Head Start program will not exceed $1,495 for the first year. The price includes professional web site design, development, publication, and maintenance (valued at over $5,000).

    Additional charges include mandatory fees from service providers for: domain name registration for three years (about $75, or free with web hosting package) and web server capability for three years ($447, about $149 per year) and monthly dial-in access or broadband charges for your organization, which are usually about $10-$40 per month. (We can help you sign up with these providers.)

    For year two and on, our maintenance fee drops to $480 per year.

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Samples of our web site work include:

    www.cencomfut.com - Center for Community Futures, Jim Masters
    www.cceda.com - California Community Economic Development Association, Ralph Lippman
    www.caasm.org – Community Action Agency of San Mateo County, Inc., Greg Redican
    www.eocsf.org -- Economic Opportunity Council of San Francisco, Yalanda Birdsong

    www.cornerstoneconsultantspa.org -- Cornerstone Consultants, Mary Virtue 

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If there are any questions or comments, or if you’re ready to get started, please contact:

Teresa K. Wickstrom, Systems Manager/Webmaster

Phone: 909-790-0670
Fax: 909-790-0670
E-mail: teresa@cencomfut.com 
Mail: 12275 13^th Street, Yucaipa, CA 92399

Jim Masters, Director

Phone: 510-339-3801
Fax: 510-339-3803
E-mail: jmasters@cencomfut.com
Mail: PO Box 5309, Berkeley, CA 94705

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    You can begin the web site development process for your Head Start Program right now by filling out the online form below and submitting it. Or, you can download this form in PDF format by clicking here.