Choosing images
Look for images that:
- Are authentic, meaning they portray realistic locations, people, and poses
- Display a mix of ages in photos of children across the site — from infants to grade school
- Reflect children’s natural curiosity — like depictions of them exploring or investigating their world
- Represent the mix of races/ethnicities, ages, and genders for children, parents, and providers we experience in our day to day work
- Show people of varying body shapes and sizes
- Reflect a variety of urban and suburban locations — again, look for images authentic to our families in CT
Label images for accessibility
While informative images are a great addition to your page, they aren’t much help to those who can’t see them.
Writing out the “Alt text” for an image is a way for people who depend on an accessibility device, like a Screen Reader, to understand context they might be missing by not seeing your image. Just fill in the Alt text in the designated field when you upload an image.
When writing the Alt text for an image, keep your description and short and sweet as possible while still passing along the most vital information.
Check image rights and permissions before sharing
Be sure any images you choose to use on the page are images you either own or have the rights to use. Always include information on the page so users know the source of the images.
Include as much information as possible in your image’s caption, especially:
- Creator’s name
- Date image was created
- A statement of permission for use
- Type of image (A photograph? A chart? A diagram?)
- Where you found the image, and when
For example, a caption could look like this:
Franklin, A. (2018). K-12 Education Funding in New England [Graph]. Retrieved January 2, 2019 from https://www.ed.gov. Copyright 2018 by the Department of Education.
Take a look at the APA citation guide for the best way to cite your specific sources.
For more detailed information on how to figure out copyright and image citing responsibilities, take a look at this series on the topic from the APA Style blog.