Privacy Policy

Who we are

Little Oaks Daycare & Montessori ("Little Oaks", "we", "our", or "us") is a family-operated childcare centre located at 68 Alexandria Avenue, Waterloo, Ontario. We are committed to protecting the privacy of the families and individuals we serve.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where applicable, Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).

Information we collect

From families and prospective families

When you contact us, submit an inquiry, or enroll your child, we may collect:

• Parent or guardian names, email addresses, and phone numbers
• Child's name and date of birth
• Preferred or required start dates
• Any information you voluntarily share in your message

Upon enrollment, we collect additional information needed to provide safe, appropriate care, including:

• Emergency contact information
• Medical information, allergies, and health conditions relevant to your child's care
• Custody or access arrangements where relevant to pick-up authorization

Health and medical information about your child is personal health information governed by PHIPA. We collect this information only with your consent and only to the extent necessary to care for your child safely.

From this website

This website does not use tracking cookies, advertising pixels, or third-party analytics. Standard web server logs may record your IP address, browser type, and pages visited for security and diagnostic purposes only.

How we use your information

We use personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected:

• Responding to your inquiry or tour request
• Managing waitlist positions
• Administering enrollment and care agreements
• Communicating updates relevant to your child's care or our programs
• Meeting our legal obligations as a licensed childcare operator in Ontario

We do not use your information for marketing unrelated to Little Oaks, and we do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to any third party.

Sharing your information

We share personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Staff with a need to know — caregivers and staff who work directly with your child are given the information necessary to provide safe, appropriate care.
• Legal or regulatory requirements — we may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory authority, including the Ministry of Education as our licensing body.
• Emergency situations — we may share information with emergency responders when your child's immediate safety is at risk.

We do not share your information with advertisers, data brokers, or any other commercial third parties.

Data retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Enrollment and health records are retained for the period required under Ontario childcare licensing regulations. Inquiry and waitlist records are retained for a reasonable period and then securely deleted.

Your rights

Under PIPEDA, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we hold about you or your child
• Request access to that information
• Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information
• Withdraw consent for uses that are not required by law (noting that withdrawal may affect our ability to provide care)
• File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. Paper records are stored securely on-site. Digital records are stored on password-protected systems. We do not transmit sensitive personal information over unencrypted channels.

Third-party links

This website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external site you visit.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the revised policy on this page and update the effective date. If we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify affected families directly.