Thrive Birth to Five is a Virginia-based initiative supporting families, educators, and advocates with access to early-childhood resources, data, and local program information. As Lead Front-End Developer, I built a responsive, accessible, and scalable WordPress experience that reflects the organization’s mission while empowering the client team to manage content in-house.
My Role
I led the front-end development—translating design concepts into a modular, WCAG-compliant WordPress site. Working closely with the content and strategy team, I implemented a flexible page structure that allows future growth without developer support.
Key contributions included:
- Front-End Architecture: Built a fully custom WordPress child theme on Understrap, integrating Bootstrap 5 for responsive layouts and scalable component patterns.
- Audience-Driven Navigation: Developed multi-path navigation for families, educators, advocates, and early-childhood systems to reduce friction and improve discoverability.
- Dynamic Resource Hub: Implemented a CMS-driven library with filtering by audience and subject, allowing easy content management and streamlined user search.
- Regional Data Snapshots: Created downloadable, county-specific PDF modules using structured markup and accessible card components.
- Customizable Content Blocks: Implemented Gutenberg blocks for CTAs, image cards, partner highlights, and news feeds—each designed to stay on-brand even when edited by the client.
- Performance & Accessibility: Optimized image loading, color contrast, and heading structure to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
- Scalable Content Blocks: Engineered reusable Gutenberg blocks for calls-to-action, partner highlights, and “Key News” feeds.
Client Empowerment
Each page template was designed for flexibility—allowing Thrive B5 administrators to add components, update colors, swap photos, and edit copy while maintaining brand consistency.
I also conducted in-person training sessions and delivered a custom training manual outlining how to manage content, update modules, and maintain accessibility standards across the site.
Outcome
The final site delivers a clear, welcoming experience for multiple audiences and provides the Thrive B5 team with the autonomy to sustain and expand their content long-term. The new platform strengthens outreach, improves discoverability, and reflects the organization’s commitment to early learning across Central Virginia.
