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Educating Young Minds with a Brand New Look & Feel:
An Elevate Main Street Project

Ashmont Nursery School

ashmont nursery school screenshots on grey background

Client Info

Ashmont Nursery School is a cooperative, non-profit preschool in Dorchester, MA, where parents play an active role in the classroom and administration. The school focuses on hands-on learning, creativity, and social-emotional development, offering a small, nurturing environment for toddlers and preschool-aged children. 

Published Date

Industry

Education

Tools Used

    • Project Link

    www.ashmontnurseryschool.com

    How We Created a Powerful Tool for Parents & Prospective Families

    The Problem

    The Ashmont Nursery School website had several areas needing improvement in design, navigation, and functionality. The layout felt outdated, and key information like admissions, tuition, and curriculum was not easily accessible. Navigation was unclear, and the site was not fully optimized for mobile, which could frustrate users on smartphones.

    Content lacked clarity, with no strong calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide parents toward applying or scheduling a tour. Technical issues, such as slow load times, broken links, and poor SEO, may have reduced visibility in searches. Accessibility was also a concern, with missing alt text, poor contrast, and no language translation options.
     

    two screenshots of the old ashmont nursery website on a white background

     

    Key Issues

    • Outdated design
    • Poor mobile experience
    • Unclear calls to action
    • Broken links, slow speeds, and SEO needed improvement
    • Accessibility and readability lacking

     

    The Project

    Elevate Main Street (EMS) teamed up with Ashmont Nursery School to create a website that truly works for their community. Ashmont Nusery's mission is to engage the entire family in the education and development of young minds. 

    The new site needed to serve two specific audience groups - current parents who need to stay informed and prospective parents who need to easily learn about ANS and apply for one of the limited available student spots. 

    From there, the team designed a modern, easy-to-use website that’s fast, mobile-friendly, and simple to navigate. Throughout the process, EMS stayed in close contact with Ashmont’s team, making tweaks based on their feedback. 

     

     

    The EMS Process

    We believe the best websites come from true collaboration. Throughout the project, we worked closely with Ashmont Nursery School, gathering feedback at every stage to ensure the final site met their needs. Our process is transparent, flexible, and team-driven, making sure our clients feel heard and involved from start to finish.
     

    Phase 1 - Discovery & Planning

    1. We started by meeting with Ashmont Nursery School to understand their needs and goals.
    2. We identified and profiled their key audiences: current parents of ANS students and prospective families looking for more information.

    3. We mapped out the essential website features, including a parent portal, admissions info, and clear CTAs.

       

    Phase 2 - Design & UX

    1. We started with a the initial wireframe layout - showing the functionality of the site and how users will interact. 

    2. Then we delivered the initial design concept. We put a focus on responsive design and ensured mobile-friendliness for easy access on all devices.

    3. Based on the Ashmont team's feedback we collaborated on refining the layout and design based on the agreed needs of the audience.

    two screenshots of the initial layout of the new websites in grey no color or design

     

    Phase 3 - Website Development

    1. Our team of Drupal developers begin building the structure of the website based on the design and wireframes.

    2. We built the site on our own custom EMS Pro Content Management System, designed to be intuitive and easy to use for non-technical teams or individuals.

    3. We collaboratively tested the site before launching to to ensure all usability issues and updates were executed promptly.

     

    Phase 4 - Collaborative Feedback

     1. One of the most important phases! We gathered feedback from Ashmont’s team throughout the process.

    2. Made adjustments to improve navigation, content clarity, and functionality.

    3. Defined the needed back-end roles and permissions to match the Ashmont team's own internal structure.

     

    Final Phase - Launch & Optimization

    1. Tested the site for performance, speed, and accessibility.

    2. Provided training and support for the Ashmont team to manage updates.

    3. Launched the website, ensuring a smooth transition for parents and staff.

    The Solution: Elevate Main Street

    Ashmont Nursery School was an ideal match for Elevate Main Street (EMS), a sub-brand of Responsab that helps small, local businesses maximize their resources with fast, user-friendly websites. EMS delivers high-performance sites that rival large, complex custom Drupal websites without unnecessary complexity.

     

    banner graphic: click here to learn more about Elevate Main Street

     

    Ashmont Nursery School’s new website, aims to serve two key audiences: current parents and prospective families. It must keep existing families informed with easy access to calendars, announcements, and school updates, while also attracting new parents by showcasing the school’s philosophy, benefits, and admissions process. To be effective, the site should be mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and visually engaging, with clear calls-to-action guiding visitors to apply or schedule a tour.
     

     

    Key Features:

    • Admissions & Application Info – Clear steps for prospective families.
    • Strong CTAs – "Apply Now" and "Schedule a Tour" buttons.
    • Fast, Mobile-Friendly Design – Ensuring smooth browsing on all devices.
    • SEO & Visibility – Helping parents easily find the school online.

     

    ANS Frontend Updates

    Ashmont Nursery School Hero

    Ashmont Nursery Students

    Ashmont Case Study Students

    Students from ANS

    Ralph's team was fantastic to work with!

    Working with Elevate Main Street by Responsab has been a fantastic experience. They took the time to understand our unique needs at Ashmont Nursery and crafted a custom website that truly reflects our mission and community.

    Matthew Skelly
    Ashmont Nursery School Webmaster

    Staff on the project

    Ralph Francois

    CEO / Founder
    headshot of founder ralph francois on a blue background

    Bio

    Ralph brings over 25 years of expertise in web development, specializing in crafting custom digital solutions using PHP, and integrating modern CMS platforms like Drupal and WordPress. Throughout his career, Ralph has been instrumental in building some of the world’s most renowned websites and digital experiences, working with global brands such as Nasdaq, Amazon, Apple, Twitter, and Nordstrom.

    In addition to his extensive technical skills, Ralph has held senior leadership roles, including Senior Lead and Director, for major corporations like Nasdaq and ABB, where he directed complex, high-profile digital projects. His entrepreneurial spirit has led him to found multiple successful businesses, including Quincy Yoga & Massage and Studgate Inc., showcasing his ability to merge technology and community impact.

    Ralph’s dedication to excellence extends beyond his projects, as he actively engages in fostering business growth and collaboration. A proud advocate for small businesses, he values building meaningful partnerships across industries while contributing to innovative digital transformations worldwide.

    View profile

    Alaina Tucker

    Markerting Director
    Alaina Tucker - Marketing Director

    Bio

    Alaina is a seasoned Marketing Lead with a proven track record of crafting compelling narratives in highly technical and competitive marketplaces. With expertise spanning Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Strategic Planning, and Project Management, she excels in developing data-driven marketing strategies that drive engagement and deliver measurable results. 

    Alaina’s skill set extends to cybersecurity marketing, where she effectively communicates complex technical solutions to diverse audiences. She is adept at creating sales funnels that convert prospects into loyal customers, leveraging tools like CRM platforms, A/B testing, and advanced analytics to optimize campaign performance. 

    Her marketing approach adheres to industry standards, ensuring compliance with GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and accessibility guidelines, while implementing cutting-edge practices in content strategy, SEO, and social media marketing. Alaina’s ability to integrate storytelling with technology positions her as a key driver in aligning business goals with market needs. 

    Dedicated to fostering innovation and collaboration, Alaina brings vision and precision to every project, making her a valuable asset in both B2B and B2C environments.

    Mokhlesur Munna

    UI/UX Designer
    Mokhlesur Munna - UI/UX Developer

    Bio

    Originally from Bangladesh, Munna holds a B.S.C in Computing Information Systems from Daffodil International University. With over eight years of experience in WordPress and UI/UX design, he began his career as a front-end designer and has since built a versatile team specializing in accessible and responsive designs, Figma design, WordPress, logo creation, dashboard design, and more.

    Munna is dedicated to creating user-centric digital experiences that prioritize inclusivity and adaptability, ensuring websites and applications are accessible to all users and perform seamlessly across devices. Passionate about his craft, he embraces every new challenge as an opportunity to innovate and deliver impactful results.

    Outside of work, Munna enjoys traveling, exploring new places, and spending quality time with his family.

    Oleksandr Halik

    QA Engineer
    Oleksandr Halik - QA Engineer

    Bio

    Oleksandr Halik is a skilled QA Engineer from Lviv, Ukraine, with expertise in manual and automated testing for web, mobile, and desktop platforms. Oleksandr's expertise spans functional, exploratory, usability, regression, and cross-browser testing. He’s adept at creating detailed test documentation, writing reproducible bug reports using tools like Jira and Linear, and streamlining QA workflows for complex projects.

    His technical toolkit includes Cypress for automation, BrowserStack for mobile testing, and Qase.io for test case management.With a proven record of over 250 successful freelance QA projects on Fiverr (4.9-star rating), Oleksandr is proficient in creating test documentation, writing detailed bug reports, and managing QA workflows.When not ensuring digital excellence, Oleksandr enjoys playing football in Lviv’s IT-League, hiking in the Carpathian Mountains, and exploring the world of video games.

    His dedication to teamwork, problem-solving, and continuous learning makes him an invaluable asset in driving digital transformations and achieving exceptional results.