1. Overview

Aussie Childcare Network ("ACN", "we", "us" or "our") is an Australia-focused childcare content, resources, and community website.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share information when you use our website, downloads, community, newsletters, emails, and related services.

We aim to use plain English and to collect only information that is useful for running, protecting, improving, and supporting the service.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect:

  • account and profile information, such as your name, email address, username, password credentials, profile settings, subscription status, preferences, and account activity
  • user-generated content, such as forum topics, replies, profile information, messages sent to support, reports, and other content you submit
  • newsletter and email information, such as email address, topic preferences, subscription status, delivery status, opens, clicks, bounces, complaints, unsubscribes, and related delivery events
  • payment, subscription, and credit information needed to process access to memberships, downloads, or digital products; payment card details are handled by payment providers and are not stored by us
  • download and resource access information, such as the asset requested, access time, result, account or user ID where available, IP address, user agent, and related technical details
  • search information, including query text, normalised query text, result counts, search surface, timing/performance data, IP address, user agent, user ID where logged in, and timestamps
  • content and community engagement information, including content views, reading or engagement activity, community topic views, community topic read activity, timestamps, and account or user ID where logged in
  • technical information, such as IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, approximate location, referrer, pages visited, cookies, and similar identifiers

3. How We Use Information

We use data to:

  • provide the website, community, downloads, memberships, newsletters, and support services
  • create and manage accounts, profiles, preferences, subscriptions, purchases, credits, and access permissions
  • send service messages, account notifications, newsletters, support replies, and operational emails
  • measure content demand, search quality, download activity, community activity, email performance, and site reliability
  • improve content, resources, navigation, search results, product features, and user experience
  • protect accounts, prevent abuse, detect fraud, enforce our terms, and moderate community content
  • comply with legal obligations

4. Public Information

Some parts of the service are public. Information you post publicly may be visible to other users and visitors, including:

  • public profile details, where enabled
  • community topics, replies, and other user-generated content
  • display names, timestamps, and related public activity information

Please do not post sensitive information, confidential childcare service information, or identifiable information about children, families, educators, or services unless you have proper authority to do so.

5. Analytics, Search, Downloads, and Community Activity

We use first-party analytics and logs to understand how the service is used and to keep it reliable. This may include:

  • content view counters and engagement records
  • community topic view counters and read activity
  • download access logs showing which resource was requested, when, from which IP address and user agent, and by which account where available
  • search telemetry, including query text, normalised query text, result counts, zero-result searches, search surface, performance timing, IP address, user agent, user ID where logged in, and timestamps

We use this information to improve content, identify missing resources, troubleshoot access issues, monitor abuse, support users, and make editorial and product decisions.

6. Google Analytics, Advertising, and Cookies

We may use Google Analytics 4 to understand website traffic, page usage, referrals, and general audience behaviour. Google Analytics may collect or receive information such as pages visited, browser and device information, approximate location, referrer, and cookie or measurement identifiers, depending on how analytics is configured and how your browser or consent settings apply.

We may use Google AdSense or other advertising features to display advertising. Advertising providers may use cookies and similar technologies to deliver ads, measure ad performance, prevent fraud, and help show more relevant advertising.

Cookies and similar technologies may be used for:

  • login sessions, account security, and fraud prevention
  • remembering preferences and improving site functionality
  • analytics, measurement, and performance reporting
  • advertising, ad delivery, and ad measurement

You can manage cookies through your browser settings. You can also review Google's privacy information at Google Privacy Policy and manage Google advertising settings and privacy controls at Google Ad Settings and Google Data & Privacy.

7. Newsletters and Email Analytics

If you subscribe to newsletters or receive emails from us, we may collect and process information about email delivery and engagement. This may include opens, clicks, bounces, complaints, unsubscribes, delivery events, timestamps, recipient domain, campaign details, and provider webhook data.

We use this information to send emails, manage preferences, honour unsubscribes, investigate delivery issues, reduce spam or abuse, and understand whether newsletters are useful.

You can unsubscribe from newsletter emails or manage newsletter preferences using the links provided in our emails. Service and account emails may still be sent where needed to operate your account or provide requested services.

8. Third-Party Providers

We use third-party providers to operate the service. These may include hosting, cloud infrastructure, email delivery, analytics, advertising, SMS or notification services, payment processing, security, monitoring, and support tools.

These providers may process personal information for us or receive limited information needed to provide their services. For example, payment providers process payments, email providers help deliver and measure emails, Google may provide analytics and advertising services, and hosting providers store and process website data.

Some providers may process information outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to use providers with appropriate privacy, security, and contractual controls.

9. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share information:

  • with service providers who help us run the website, community, payments, email, analytics, advertising, support, and security systems
  • where required by law
  • to protect users, children, families, educators, services, ACN, or the public
  • to investigate abuse, fraud, security incidents, payment disputes, or policy breaches
  • as part of a business transfer, restructure, or similar transaction, if applicable

We do not publish private account information except where you choose to make information public, such as by posting in the community.

10. Data Retention

We keep information for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, including operating the service, supporting users, maintaining records, improving content, preventing abuse, complying with legal obligations, and resolving disputes.

Raw logs and detailed analytics records are generally kept only while useful for support, security, operations, and product improvement. Aggregate counters and rollups, such as content view counts, download counts, community view counts, and search rollups, may be kept for longer because they do not usually identify a specific user by themselves.

User-generated community content may remain after account closure where needed to preserve discussion context, comply with legal obligations, or maintain the integrity of the community, unless we decide removal is appropriate.

11. Children's Data

We do not knowingly collect data directly from children.

ACN is intended for adults, including educators, parents, carers, students, and childcare professionals. Users must not upload sensitive or identifiable child information unless they have proper authority and it is lawful and appropriate to do so.

12. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information. No online service can guarantee absolute security, so you should also protect your login details and use care when posting public content.

13. Access, Correction, and Choices

You may request access to, or correction of, personal information we hold about you where required by applicable law. You may also contact us about privacy questions or concerns.

You can manage some information directly through your account settings, newsletter preference links, unsubscribe links, browser cookie settings, and Google advertising/privacy controls.

Some requests may be limited by legal, security, fraud prevention, community safety, record keeping, or operational reasons.

14. Legal Disclosure

We may disclose data where required by law.

15. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page.

16. Contact

If you have a privacy question or request, please contact us through the website contact page.