Privacy Policy

Kool Kidz services are individually owned and operated by approved providers licensed by the Department of Education & Training. Kool Kidz approved providers also employ their staff who work at each Kool Kidz service. Each individual service is licensed by Kool Kidz Central which is owned and managed by Hortis & Associates Pty Ltd. Hortis & Associates Pty Ltd owns the complete rights to the Kool Kidz business model, all intellectual property and systems. Kool Kidz is committed to safeguarding your privacy. The Privacy Act 1998 (“Privacy Act”), Australian Privacy Principles and any relevant registered privacy codes govern the way we must manage your personal information. This policy demonstrates how Kool Kidz collects, uses and discloses the personal information we collect during your interaction with each Kool Kidz service and Kool Kidz Central.

Important Note: At every instance when Kool Kidz is referred to within this privacy statement we are always referring to both Kool Kidz individual services and Kool Kidz Central.

Collection of Personal Information

Purpose

Kool Kidz collects and holds personal information about you or your child (that is, information relating to an individual or which can be used to identify an individual), that is reasonably necessary for or related to our activities and the services we provide. The purposes for which your personal information is collected will usually be obvious at the time it is collected. Kool Kidz collects personal information of parents and guardians, children, employees and stakeholders for the primary purposes of providing early childhood education and care services and advocating for the well-being, protection and development of children. Kool Kidz will only use your personal information for the purpose it was collected or a reasonably expected or related secondary purpose.

Kinds of Information Collected

Kinds of personal information Kool Kidz collects and holds may include your: name, gender, address, phone numbers, facsimile number, email address, date of birth, bank account details, credit card number, tax file number, Centrelink Customer Reference Number, date of birth (for CRN holder), custody arrangements and/or other information relevant to providing you with services .

Additional specific information Kool Kidz collects and holds about children may include their: name, former name, gender, address, Centrelink Customer Reference Number, immunisation status, date and place of birth, birth certificate, Medicare number, custody arrangements or parenting orders, dietary requirements, languages spoken, doctor’s details, medical conditions , additional needs, photographs and videos of children, samples of children’s work and general information about your child and your family that assists us in providing individualised early learning and care to children.

Method of Collection

Personal information will generally be collected from you directly through the use of our standard forms, over the internet via our website, via email or written communication with you, or through a telephone conversation with you. Photos and videos of children and children’s work samples are collected at their Kool Kidz service. Name, address and phone numbers of children’s additional emergency contact people are collected from children’s parents or guardians.

There may be on occasion be instances where personal information about you will be collected indirectly because it is unreasonable or impractical to collect the personal information from you directly. We will usually notify you about these instances in advance, or where that is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable after the information has been collected.

Failure to Provide Information

If you do not wish for your personal information to be collected you should discuss this with the approved provider of your Kool Kidz service. Approved providers will act strictly in accordance with this policy and will be happy to discuss the reasons for seeking to collect your personal information. They will also discuss with you any consequences of not providing your personal information, or providing incomplete or inaccurate personal information, which may include an effect on what services Kool Kidz can provide to you.

Use of Personal Information

Kool Kidz takes seriously its obligations when dealing with your personal information. Kool Kidz will collect, hold, and use that personal information for purposes associated with: providing early childhood education and care services; advocating for the well-being, protection and development of children; documenting children’s learning; managing children’s current or prospective enrolment; providing you with information about our organisation, services and activities via letters, email, SMS and other service or organisation communication channels; and requesting information from you about our organisation and services via surveys.

Direct Marketing

If Kool Kidz has collected your information directly from you and we believe you reasonably expect us to, we will use or disclose your personal information to communicate directly with you to promote our services. Kool Kidz will provide you with a way to easily opt out of receiving direct marketing messages via the inclusion of an unsubscribe option on all electronic communications, and we will stop sending direct marketing communications when requested.

Employment Opportunities

If you apply for a job with Kool Kidz we will collect and hold personal information about you relevant to your application for employment, including your name and contact details, curriculum vitae or resume, employment history, academic records, working with children and police checks, and comments made to Kool Kidz or its agents about you by your referees. We will use reasonable endeavours to keep such information confidential and if you do not commence employment with Kool Kidz, we will destroy such records when no longer required in relation to your application. We reserve the right however to retain for our records any file notes or observations we make in interviews with you or your referees with respect to your qualifications and suitability for a role.

Sensitive Information

In some circumstances Kool Kidz may seek to collect personal information that is sensitive. This may include information such as your child’s racial or ethnic origin or any cultural or religious requirements. We are also required by the Education And Care National Regulations to collect and hold details of your child’s medical conditions, immunisation history and additional needs. We collect this information as it is reasonably necessary for ensuring the well-being, protection and development of children in our care.

Kool Kidz will only collect your sensitive information with your consent and will ensure that it is stored securely. If you do not wish for your sensitive information to be collected by Kool Kidz, you should discuss this with your service Kool Kidz approved provider.

Kool Kidz employees will act strictly in accordance with this policy and will be happy to discuss the reasons for seeking to collect your sensitive information. They will also discuss with you any consequences of not providing your sensitive information which may include an effect on the services being provided to you.

Disclosure

Kool Kidz will only disclose your personal information for the purpose it was collected or a reasonably expected or related secondary purpose.

We may disclose personal information about you or your child to:

• third party service providers, who assist us in operating our business (including credit reporting bodies, collection agencies, legal advisors and technology service providers). We will take reasonable steps to ensure these service providers do not breach the Australian Privacy Principles. These providers may also be based overseas or use overseas infrastructure to perform services.

• a purchaser of the assets and operations of our business or a part of it, provided those assets and operations are purchased as a going concern

• child protection agencies or family support agencies when we reasonably believe that a child is at risk of significant harm.

Kool Kidz will not otherwise disclose personal information to a third party for any other purpose without your consent unless it is authorised or required by law.

Access and Correction

You may request access to your personal information by requesting this directly from your service approved provider. If at any time you believe that Kool Kidz’s record of your personal information is incorrect, please let your service approved provider know. The approved provider will take all reasonable steps to correct the information so that it is accurate, complete and up to date at all times.

In some circumstances which are prescribed by the Privacy Act, such as where to do so might put a person at risk of harm or have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, Kool Kidz may decline access to personal information. If your request for access is denied, your Kool Kidz approved provider will tell you why.

Internet

If you access the Kool Kidz website, we may collect additional personal information about you in the form of your IP address or domain name. Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked websites and any linked websites are not subject to our privacy policies and procedures.

Information Storage and Security

Personal information collected by Kool Kidz will be stored securely in paper form or electronically at the Kool Kidz service your child attends or at Kool Kidz Central. Kool Kidz may store, process or back-up your personal information on computer servers that are located at alternative locations which may include an overseas location, including through third party service providers who assist us in operating our business. Only authorised employees from Kool Kidz and third party service providers will have access to your information and this access will be structured in such a way as to ensure the use and disclosure as stated above. We will take reasonable steps to protect any personal information that we hold from unauthorised access, modification, misuse, loss and disclosure.

Amendments to this Privacy Statement

Kool Kidz may change this Privacy Statement at any time without prior notice. When we do so, we will notify you of the changes by posting an updated version of the policy on our website.

Privacy Act 1998

This notice is provided for your information and is not intended to limit or exclude your rights under the Privacy Act 1998.

Complaints and Feedback

If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of the Privacy Act, Australian Privacy Principles or a privacy code that applies to us, please contact us as set out below and we will take reasonable steps to investigate the complaint and respond to you. If you are not happy with our response, you may complain directly to the Australian Information Commissioner.

If you have any queries or concerns about our privacy policy or the way we handle your personal information, please contact;

Kool Kidz Central
Address: 5A Station St Oakleigh Vic 3166
Email address: info@koolkidzchildcare.com.au
Telephone: 1800 KOOL KIDZ (566 554)

More information

For more information about privacy in general, you can visit the Australian Information Commissioner’s website at www.oaic.gov.au