PRIVACY POLICY

The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ("Privacy Act"), Australian Privacy Principles, and any relevant registered privacy codes govern the way we must manage your personal information. This policy demonstrates how Mudgee Kids collects, uses, and discloses the personal information we collect during your interaction with Mudgee Kids.

Collection of Your Personal Information

There are many aspects of our service which can be viewed without providing personal information; however, for enrollment and access to our parent communication platforms (including any parent apps or portals), you are required to submit personally identifiable information. This may include, but is not limited to, a unique username and password, or sensitive information for the recovery of your lost password.

Use of Your Personal Information

For each visitor to our website or digital platforms, we may collect the following non-personally identifiable information, including but not limited to browser type, version and language, operating system, pages viewed, page access times, and referring website address. This collected information is used solely internally for the purpose of gauging visitor traffic, trends, and delivering relevant content to you.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

Mudgee Kids reserves the right to make amendments to this Privacy Policy at any time. If you have objections to the Privacy Policy, these can be sent to [insert centre email address].

Accessing Your Personal Information

You have a right to access your personal information, subject to exceptions allowed by law. If you would like to do so, please let us know. You may be required to put your request in writing for security reasons. Please contact the Centre Director to request access to your personal information.

Families and Service Users

Through Mudgee Kids Early Learning Centre, families and service users have the opportunity to enquire about and access our early childhood education and care services.

What Information Is Collected?

We may collect the following information about you and your child when you enrol or enquire about our services:

  • Identifying and contact information (parent/guardian names, child's name, address, postcode, phone numbers, email addresses)

  • Emergency contact details and authorized persons for collection

  • Demographic information such as cultural background, language spoken at home, and family composition

  • Child's date of birth, gender, and any court orders affecting care arrangements

  • Medical information including immunization status, allergies, medical conditions, medications, and specific health care needs

  • Developmental information about your child's abilities, interests, and learning needs

  • Information about your intended use of our service (days and hours required)

  • Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) for Child Care Subsidy purposes

  • Accounting, billing, and payment information

  • Information provided on voluntary family surveys and feedback forms

How Is the Information Used?

This information is used only within Mudgee Kids to enable us to:

  • Respond to your enquiry and process your enrollment

  • Provide high-quality early childhood education and care tailored to your child's needs

  • Meet our duty of care and ensure your child's health, safety, and wellbeing

  • Monitor and support your child's learning and development

  • Provide regular communication and feedback to families about their child's progress, experiences, and wellbeing

  • Manage medical conditions, administer medications, and respond to emergencies

  • Comply with legal and regulatory requirements under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations

  • Process Child Care Subsidy claims and fee payments

  • Contact you regarding service operations, closures, events, and important updates

  • Send you information about our programs and services, where you have consented to be contacted for such purposes

  • Continually improve our services, programs, and customer service levels

  • Conduct surveys and feedback collection to enhance family satisfaction

Information Sharing and Disclosure

Mudgee Kids will not sell, distribute, or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may share your information with:

  • Regulatory authorities (such as the NSW Department of Education) as required by law

  • Services Australia for Child Care Subsidy processing

  • Medical professionals in the event of an emergency

  • Other early childhood services or schools during transition processes (with your consent)

Information Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. We have implemented appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect.

Retention of Information

We retain personal information in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Regulations, which require certain records to be kept for specified periods (generally 3-7 years depending on the type of record).

Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access your personal information held by Mudgee Kids

  • Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information

  • Withdraw consent for certain uses of your information (noting that some information is required by law)

  • Make a complaint about how we handle your personal information

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to access or correct your personal information, please contact:

Mudgee Kids Early Learning Centre [Insert address] [Insert phone number] [Insert email address]

Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy rights, please contact us first to resolve the matter.

Key changes made:

  • Changed all references from "Little Scholars" to "Mudgee Kids"

  • Removed duplicate "Collection of your personal information" section

  • Expanded information collection to be specific to early childhood services

  • Added sections on information sharing, security, retention, and complaints

  • Made the language more specific to your regulatory context

  • Added clearer structure and headings

  • Included requirements under National Law and Regulations