Privacy Policy
1. Introduction and commitment to your privacy
Honey Tree Early Learning and Kindergarten Pty Ltd (ABN 81 703 631 798) (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates the website honeytreeearlylearningandkindergarten.online and provides professional early learning, kindergarten and family enrolment consulting services from our base in Melbourne VIC.
We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information we hold. We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) and the thirteen Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in that Act. This policy is available free of charge on this website and may also be requested by emailing ceo@honeytreeearlylearningandkindergarten.online.
2. Scope of this policy
This policy applies to personal information we collect from:
- visitors to this website, including visitors who submit enquiries through our contact and quote request pages;
- prospective, current and former families and the children in their care;
- applicants for employment, casual and contractor roles;
- suppliers, consultants and other business partners.
3. Personal information we collect
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for one or more of our functions or activities, as required by APP 3. Depending on your dealings with us, this may include:
- the names, email addresses and residential suburbs of parents and guardians;
- children’s names and dates of birth;
- health, medical, immunisation, dietary and allergy information about children, where reasonably necessary for their safe care;
- information about a child’s learning, development and additional support needs;
- details of authorised nominees such as parents, guardians and emergency contacts;
- enrolment, attendance, booking and billing records;
- employment application materials, including qualifications, resumes and Working with Children Check status, where relevant;
- website usage data such as IP address, browser type and pages visited, collected through cookies and analytics tools.
4. Children’s information and sensitive information
Information about children’s health and development is treated as sensitive information. We only collect sensitive information where you have consented, or where the collection is permitted by the Privacy Act or required or authorised by law. Because we operate in the education and care sector, we take particular care with children’s records and handle them in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Quality Framework and the Child Safe Standards that apply in Victoria.
5. How we collect personal information
Wherever it is reasonable and practicable, we collect personal information directly from you. This may occur when you complete a form on this website, send us an email, or speak with us in person at our Melbourne VIC service. We may also collect personal information:
- from referees or from previous education and care services, with your consent;
- from government agencies and regulators where required or authorised;
- automatically, through cookies and analytics software when you browse this website.
6. Anonymity and pseudonymity
Under APP 2, you may deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym where it is lawful and practicable. You can browse this website and read our pages without identifying yourself. However, we cannot process an enrolment, quote request or child care related enquiry anonymously, because we are required by law and by our duty of care to know who we are caring for and to hold verified family contact details.
7. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information
We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:
- assessing and processing enquiries and enrolment requests submitted through our contact and quote request pages;
- providing early learning and kindergarten programs and consulting support to families;
- communicating with families about a child’s progress, wellbeing, bookings and service updates;
- meeting our legal and regulatory obligations, including obligations under the Education and Care Services National Law, family assistance law, child protection law and the Privacy Act;
- administrative, billing, accounting and record keeping purposes;
- ensuring the safety, health and security of children, families and our team;
- recruitment and human resource management;
- improving our services, programs and website.
We will never sell your personal information. We will only use or disclose personal information for direct marketing with your consent, or where otherwise permitted by APP 7, and every marketing communication we send will include a simple way for you to opt out.
8. Disclosure of personal information
We disclose personal information only in circumstances that are permitted by the APPs. Disclosure may be made to:
- our directors, educators and administrative staff, on a strict need-to-know basis;
- professional advisers such as accountants, lawyers and insurers;
- information technology service providers who host our website, email and records systems;
- government departments and regulators, including education and care regulators, Services Australia, the Australian Taxation Office and child protection authorities, where disclosure is required or authorised by law;
- health professionals and emergency services, where necessary to protect the health or safety of a child or another person;
- any other person, with your consent.
9. Overseas disclosure
Some of our information technology providers, including email and cloud hosting providers, may store or process personal information on servers located outside Australia. Where personal information is disclosed overseas, we take reasonable steps required by APP 8 to ensure the recipient does not breach the Australian Privacy Principles.
10. Data quality, security and retention
We take reasonable steps required by APP 11 to protect the personal information we hold against misuse, interference, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. These steps include secure servers, access controls, staff training and secure disposal practices.
We also take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we collect is accurate, up to date and complete, and we rely on families to tell us when their details change. We retain personal information for the periods required under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, which can extend for many years after a child’s attendance ends, and otherwise only for as long as reasonably necessary for our legal, administrative and business purposes. Once information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed or de-identified.
11. Notifiable data breaches
The Privacy Act contains a Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. If an eligible data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to individuals whose information is involved, we will notify those individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as soon as practicable, in accordance with Part IIIC of the Privacy Act.
12. Access to and correction of personal information
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you, and request corrections to it, under APPs 12 and 13. To make a request, email ceo@honeytreeearlylearningandkindergarten.online. We will respond within a reasonable period, generally within 30 calendar days, after verifying your identity. Access may be refused in limited circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act, and where we refuse access we will explain why and note your request. If we decline to correct information, you may ask us to attach a statement to the record.
13. Cookies and website analytics
This website may use cookies and analytics tools to understand how visitors use the site and to improve its performance. Most cookies do not identify individual users. You can set your browser to reject cookies, although some features of the website may not function correctly as a result.
14. Links to other websites
This website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing them with personal information.
15. Complaints and feedback
If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or otherwise mishandled your personal information, please contact us by email at ceo@honeytreeearlylearningandkindergarten.online. We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as practicable and investigate it fairly and promptly, keeping you informed of the outcome. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the law or our services. The current version will always be published on this page, together with the date of the latest revision.
17. How to contact us
Privacy contact: Honey Tree Early Learning and Kindergarten Pty Ltd, Melbourne VIC, Australia.
Email: ceo@honeytreeearlylearningandkindergarten.online
ABN: 81 703 631 798