Privacy policy

This policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information, including what you share through the enquiry form on this website, and throughout your family's enrolment and ongoing relationship with our service.

1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Five Stars Learning Family Day Care (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information, including the information you share through the enquiry form on this website, when you contact us directly, and throughout your family's enrolment and ongoing relationship with our service.

Five Stars Learning Family Day Care is operated by Five Stars Learning Pty Ltd (ABN 65 691 986 848, Service Approval SE-00017935), an approved family day care service based in Berwick, Victoria, operating through registered educators who care for children from their own approved homes, supported by our coordination and office team. References in this policy to “the service” include our coordination team, our registered educators, and this website.

We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Some small businesses aren't automatically covered by every part of this Act, but because we collect health information about children as part of providing safe care, and because protecting children's and families' privacy is central to our Child Safe Standards commitments, we apply the APPs across everything we do rather than relying on any exemption. We also meet the record-keeping, confidentiality and information-sharing obligations set out in the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations.

2. The personal information we collect

Through our website enquiry form

When you submit an enquiry through the form on this website, we collect the information you choose to provide, which may include your name, email address and phone number, your child's age, the type of care you're enquiring about, and any message or details you add about what you're looking for. Our enquiry form is processed by a third-party form provider (see Who we share your information with), which also automatically records basic technical details such as your IP address and browser type, mainly for spam prevention and security.

When you contact us directly

If you contact us by phone, email, social media or in person, we collect whatever personal information is relevant to your enquiry, for example your name, contact details, and the details of your question.

When you register or enrol your child

If you decide to enrol with us, we collect more detailed personal information so we can assess your application and safely care for your child, including:

• your child's full name, date of birth and address
• your name, contact and identification details, and those of any other parents, guardians or emergency contacts
• details of any parenting plans, custody arrangements or court orders relevant to your child's care
• your child's immunisation status and other health information required by law (such as under “No Jab No Play” requirements)
• medical conditions, allergies, medications, and any risk minimisation or health support plans
• cultural, linguistic and dietary information, so we can provide individualised, culturally safe care
• your family's Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) and other details we need to assess and claim the Child Care Subsidy on your behalf
• consent forms you complete, for example for excursions, sun protection, or photography

During your child's ongoing care

Throughout your child's time with us, your educator and our coordination team build up records that support your child's learning and safety, including day-to-day observations and learning stories, programming notes, attendance records, and incident, injury or illness reports. We also take photographs and videos of children as part of everyday learning documentation; see Photos and videos of your child for how we handle these.

Information about our educators and team

We also collect and hold personal information about our registered educators and coordination team, including qualifications, Working with Children Check status and police check details, so we can meet our screening and supervision obligations under the National Law. We handle this information with the same care described throughout this policy.

Information collected automatically through our website

Like most websites, ours may automatically collect basic technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit, generally through the services described in Cookies and other website technologies.

3. How we collect your information

Wherever possible, we collect personal information directly from you: through our website enquiry form, over the phone, by email, or in person during enrolment and ongoing care. Occasionally, and only with your consent or where the law allows or requires it, we may collect information from other sources, such as your child's previous education and care service, a health professional, or a government agency (for example, Services Australia, in relation to the Child Care Subsidy).

4. Why we collect, use and hold your information

We collect, use and hold personal information to:

• respond to your enquiry and help you choose the right care for your family
• assess your enrolment application and tailor our programs to your child's needs, strengths, culture and interests
• provide safe, high-quality day-to-day care and respond to your child's health, wellbeing and learning needs
• communicate with you about your child's day, our service, fees, policies and any incidents
• meet our legal obligations, including under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, the Child Safe Standards, and mandatory reporting laws
• assess and administer your family's Child Care Subsidy and other government assistance
• support, train and supervise our registered educators and team, and continuously improve our service
• and, only with your separate consent, use photos or stories featuring your child for marketing purposes, such as our website or social media

We won't use or disclose personal information for a purpose other than the one we collected it for, unless you'd reasonably expect that use, you consent to it, or the law requires or allows it.

5. Who we share your information with

We don't sell personal information, and we only share it where it's necessary to provide our service, meet our legal obligations, or with your consent. Depending on the circumstances, we may share personal information with:

• our registered educators and coordination/office team, on a need-to-know basis, so they can safely care for and teach your child
• Services Australia, to assess and pay the Child Care Subsidy on your behalf, as required under family assistance law
• our regulatory authority, the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA), and the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), for compliance, assessment and rating, and any required notifications or investigations under the National Law
• trusted service providers who help us run our website, enquiry form, and family day care administration, who are only permitted to use your information to provide that service to us
• health professionals, emergency services or specialists, where necessary for your child's health and safety, or with your consent
• Child Protection, Victoria Police, the Social Services Regulator, or other relevant authorities, where we're required or authorised by law to make a report, for example under mandatory reporting laws or Victoria's Reportable Conduct Scheme
• our professional advisers, such as our insurer, lawyer or accountant, where reasonably necessary
• anyone else you've asked or authorised us to share information with

6. Sending information overseas

Some of the online services we use to run our website and enquiry form store or process information on servers located outside Australia, including in the United States. For example, our website enquiry form is processed by Web3Forms, which transmits submissions over an encrypted connection and stores them securely for a limited time before automatically deleting them; our website's fonts are delivered through Google's font service, which may receive your device's IP address when a page loads. We choose providers with strong security practices, but if you'd prefer not to use the website form, you're welcome to contact us directly by phone or email instead.

7. Photos and videos of your child

We know how important your child's image is to you. As part of everyday learning documentation, such as observations, programs and learning stories, your educator may photograph or video your child. These are shared only within the service and with your own family.

We'll only use a photo, video or story featuring your child on our website, in printed materials, or on social media if you've given us separate, specific written consent for that purpose. You can withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us, and your child's care won't be affected either way.

8. How we store and protect your information

We store paper-based records in locked, access-controlled areas, and digital records in password-protected systems with access limited to people who need it to do their job. Where we use third-party providers, such as our website enquiry form provider, they're required to protect your information with appropriate security measures, including encrypted (HTTPS) transmission. While no system can be made completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, and we review our practices regularly.

9. How long we keep your information

We keep enrolment, health, incident and attendance records for the periods required under the Education and Care Services National Regulations. These periods can be lengthy, and in some cases continue well after your child leaves our service. Website enquiries that don't progress to enrolment are kept only as long as reasonably necessary to respond to you; our form provider automatically deletes the raw submission from its own systems after a limited retention period. When information is no longer required, we securely destroy or de-identify it.

10. Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you or your child, or ask us to correct it if you believe it's wrong, out of date or incomplete, by contacting us using the details below. We'll usually respond within 30 days. In limited circumstances, for example where access would unreasonably impact another child's or family's privacy, we may need to limit or refuse a request. If so, we'll explain why and let you know your options, including how to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

11. Dealing with us anonymously

Where it's lawful and practical, you're welcome to make general enquiries about our service, such as fees, availability, or our approach to learning, without giving us your name. However, to assess an enrolment or provide care for your child, we'll need to collect identifying information from you, since this is essential to keeping children safe.

12. Children's privacy

Caring for children is the heart of what we do, so much of the personal information we hold relates to them. We collect this information from a parent or guardian, not directly from your child, and only to the extent needed to provide safe, individualised care. We apply extra care to sensitive information, such as health and medical details, and we don't use a child's personal information for purposes unrelated to their care, such as marketing, without a parent or guardian's separate, informed consent.

We're also keeping an eye on Australia's developing Children's Online Privacy Code, expected by December 2026, and we'll update this policy as needed to reflect any new requirements it introduces.

13. Cookies and other website technologies

Our website uses Google Fonts to display its typefaces; loading a page may share your device's IP address with Google as part of that process. Some pages also include embedded Google Maps, which may likewise share your IP address with Google, and may set Google cookies, when the map loads. Our enquiry form includes a hidden “honeypot” field, used only to detect automated spam submissions; it doesn't collect any information about you. Our Child Care Subsidy calculator runs entirely in your browser, and the figures you enter are not sent to us or stored. At the time of writing, we don't use website analytics or advertising cookies; if this changes, we'll update this policy to reflect it.

14. If there's a data breach

If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information that's likely to result in serious harm, we'll take steps to contain and assess it, and notify affected individuals and the OAIC, in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act.

15. How to make a complaint

If you're concerned about how we've handled your personal information, please contact us first using the details below, including what happened and what outcome you're hoping for, so we can try to resolve it quickly and directly. We'll acknowledge your complaint and aim to respond within 30 days.

If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact:

• the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), at oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992, for privacy matters
• the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA), our regulatory authority, for concerns relating to your child's education and care, at vecra.vic.gov.au or 1300 307 415

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, including to reflect changes in the law, our services, or the way we collect information. The most current version will always be available on our website, with the “last updated” date shown at the top of this page.

17. Questions about your privacy?

We're happy to talk through anything in this policy, or help with a specific request about your family's information.

Five Stars Learning Family Day Care · Berwick, VIC · 0467 588 621 · info@fivestarslearningfdc.com