A preschool site that respects both kids and parents

Marigold is built for small, independent early-childhood schools — the kind run by owner-teachers with 30 families on their roster, not the chains. Parents vetting childcare need trust signals (teacher credentials, licensing, safety, philosophy) and picture of what their kid's day actually looks like. Every section serves one of those two needs.

Warm, not cartoonish

DM Serif Display is a rounded Didone — the serif warmth of a picture-book title page without the patronizing whimsy of cartoon sans-serifs. The palette is deep brick terracotta (confident primary), marigold yellow (the name earning its keep as a single accent color), and warm cream. Photos of children are used with restraint; text carries most of the weight because parents are reading, not scanning.

Multi-step enrollment, not a single CTA

Enrollment is a process — tour, application, waitlist, acceptance. The home page breaks this into a three-step visual flow so parents see what they're signing up for. The primary CTA is 'Schedule a tour' (booking-form primitive), because that's the first real step. The /enroll page carries the longer form and the tuition specifics. No fake urgency, no countdown timers — the banner-bar announces the actual fall enrollment window.