Privacy Policy

How we collect, use and protect your information

Last updated: March 2026

Explorers School of Early Learning (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of families, children, staff, and all individuals who interact with our service. This policy explains how we handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to:

  • Families and guardians enquiring about or enrolled in our service
  • Children in our care
  • Authorised nominees and emergency contacts
  • Visitors to our website (www.explorers.school)
  • Job applicants and current or former staff members

2. What Personal Information We Collect

The type of information we collect depends on your relationship with us. This may include:

For Enrolled Families & Children

  • Full name, date of birth, home address
  • Parent/guardian contact details (phone, email)
  • Emergency contact details and authorised nominee information
  • Health information: medical conditions, allergies, immunisation records, medications, and any health management plans
  • Cultural background, language spoken at home, and any special needs (to support inclusive programming)
  • Centrelink/CCS Customer Reference Number (CRN)
  • Child's developmental records and learning documentation

For Website Visitors

  • Information submitted via contact, enquiry, or booking forms (name, email, phone)
  • Technical data: browser type, pages visited, referring website, IP address
  • Marketing attribution data (UTM parameters, Google Click ID, Meta Click ID) to understand how you found us

For Job Applicants

  • Name, contact details, qualifications, employment history, and references
  • Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance number
  • National Police Check results (where required)

3. How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information:

  • Directly from you via enrolment forms, enquiry forms, and phone calls
  • From your child's medical practitioners (with your consent)
  • From Centrelink/Services Australia for subsidy processing
  • Via our website, including contact forms, tour booking systems, and cookies/analytics
  • From referrals by other services (e.g., early intervention providers)

4. Why We Collect and Use Personal Information

We use personal information to:

  • Provide safe, high-quality early childhood education and care to your child
  • Comply with our obligations under the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations
  • Process Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims through the Department of Education
  • Maintain accurate attendance, incident, and health records
  • Contact you or your emergency contacts in the event of an illness or incident
  • Support your child's learning and developmental needs
  • Communicate with you about your child's progress, centre updates, and service information
  • Assess and process employment applications
  • Improve our website and marketing (with anonymous analytics and, where consent is given, remarketing)

5. Sensitive Information

We collect sensitive information (such as health and medical records) only where necessary for providing care to your child, and with your knowledge or consent. This information is treated with the highest level of care and is not disclosed to third parties except as required by law or with your explicit consent.

6. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to:

  • Government bodies including the Department of Education, ACECQA, and Services Australia (Centrelink) as required by law
  • Medical professionals or emergency services where necessary for the safety of your child
  • Our software providers and third-party platforms used for administration, including enrolment management systems (ChildCareCRM/LineLeader), and communication tools — all subject to their own privacy policies
  • Professional advisors such as accountants or legal representatives, under strict confidentiality obligations

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

7. Website Cookies & Analytics

Our website uses cookies and analytics tools (including Google Analytics and Meta Pixel) to help us understand how visitors use our site. These tools may collect:

  • Pages visited and time spent on each page
  • How you arrived at our site (search, social media, advertisement)
  • Device and browser information

Where you have submitted an enquiry or booking, we may use the information you provided (hashed and anonymised) to help measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns via Meta and Google. You can opt out of personalised advertising through your browser settings or via the Digital Advertising Alliance.

8. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps include:

  • Password-protected computer systems and restricted staff access to records
  • Secure physical storage of paper records
  • HTTPS encryption for all online form submissions
  • Regular review of our data handling practices and third-party provider security

In the event of a data breach that is likely to cause you serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Children's records are generally retained for a minimum of 7 years after the child's last day of attendance (or until the child turns 25, whichever is later), in accordance with regulatory requirements.

10. Photography & Video

We may take photographs and video of children for documentation of learning, portfolio records, and centre promotional materials. Consent for photography is obtained as part of the enrolment process. If you wish to withdraw or amend your consent, please contact us at admin@explorers.school.

11. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal information we hold about you or your child
  • Request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information
  • Withdraw consent for certain uses of your information (noting that some information is required by law)
  • Make a complaint about how we have handled your information

To exercise these rights, please contact us in writing. We will respond within 30 days.

12. Making a Complaint

If you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately, please contact us in the first instance at admin@explorers.school. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The current version will always be available on our website with the date of last update noted at the top.

14. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions or requests, please contact: