Privacy Policy
Updated: Nov 2025
Privacy and Confidentiality Statement
The purpose of this Statement is to provide guidance around privacy and confidentiality at Sydney Early Educations Centres (the Service).
Personal Information
Personal information will be managed in a way that protects an individuals’ privacy and respects their rights under Australian privacy laws.
Collection
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for or related to carrying out Service operations or complying with our legal obligations. We will take reasonable steps to make sure you know we have your personal information, how we got it and how we’ll handle it.
We collect personal information of parents and guardians, children, employees and other workers in the Service for the primary purpose of providing early childhood education and care services. We only use personal information we collect for that primary purpose or related secondary purposes.
We collect most personal information directly from a parent or guardian. We may also collect information through our website, social media pages, Family Law court orders or agreements, special needs agencies and training courses. We may occasionally request information from other organisations as reasonably necessary for us to educate and care for a child.
By enrolling your child in our Service, parents consent to the collection of personal information in accordance with this Privacy and Confidentiality Statement.
If you apply to work for us, we will collect and hold personal information about you relevant to your application, including your name and contact details, curriculum vitae or resume, employment history, academic records, working with children and police checks, and comments made to us about you by your referees. We will use best endeavours to keep this personal information confidential. If you do not commence work for us, we will destroy such personal information when no longer required in relation to your application to the extent we are permitted to do so by law. We reserve the right however to retain for our records any file notes or observations we make in interviews with you or your referees in connection with your suitability to work for us.
The personal information we may collect includes but is not limited to name, address, date of birth, gender, family contact details, emergency contact details, authorised nominee details, parents’ occupations, cultural background, home language, religious beliefs, payment details, child care benefit information, Medicare number, immunisation records, medical information and medical management plans, photos of children and information about children’s strengths, interests, preferences and needs, including special needs.
If we are unable to collect reasonably necessary personal information, we may be unable to enrol a child at our Service or permit you to work for us.
“Observe and listen to children because when they ask “why?’ they are not simply asking for the answer from you. They are requesting the courage to find a collection of possible answers.’
CARLINA RINALDI
‘We not only respect babies, we demonstrate our respect every time we interact with them. Respecting a child means treating even the youngest infant as a unique human being, not as an object.
MAGDA GERBER
Sensitive Information
In some circumstances we may seek and collect sensitive information. This may include information such as your child’s racial or ethnic background, cultural background, home language or religious beliefs. We may seek this information in the course of caring for and educating children your children. We are also required by law to collect and hold information relating to your child’s immunisation records, medical information, medical management plans, and other needs relating to health and wellbeing. We only use sensitive information for the primary purpose, and with your consent or where required or authorized by law. We do not use sensitive information in marketing activity. We only collect sensitive information with your informed consent and will ensure that it is stored securely. Please discuss this with us further if you do not want your child’s sensitive information collected.
Use and Disclosure
Your personal information is considered confidential and will not be used for any purpose other than for the proper operation of the Service, related secondary purposes or as required by law, such as in circumstances of emergency. Accordingly, personal information may be accessed by and exchanged between Service staff in the course of their work, and third parties who provide supportive or associated services to the Service. However, it will not be disclosed without your written consent to do so or as required by law.
We may disclose personal information about you or your child to:
- third party service providers, who assist us in operating our business (such as credit reporting bodies, collection agencies, legal advisors and technology service providers);
- a purchaser of the assets and operations of our business or a part of it, if those assets and operations are purchased as a going concern; and
- child protection agencies or family support agencies where we reasonably believe that a child is at risk of significant harm or where required by law.
We do not otherwise disclose personal information to a third party for any other purpose without your consent unless it is authorised by law.
By using the Service you consent to the receipt of direct marketing material. We may use or disclose your personal information for the purpose of informing you in relation to the Service, upcoming events, or other activities that may interest you. We will only use your personal information for the purpose if we have collected such information direct from you, and it is material of a type which you would reasonably expect to receive from us. We do not use sensitive information for this purpose. If you do not want to receive such marketing communications, you may opt-out at any time by contacting the Privacy Officer using the contact details below. If you opt-out of receiving marketing material from us, we may still contact you in relation to our ongoing relationship with you in connection with the Service.
Personal information may be transferred overseas for a variety of reasons. It is not possible to identify each and every country to which personal information may be sent. If your personal information is sent to a recipient in a country with data protection laws which are at least substantially similar to the Australian Privacy Principles, and where there are mechanisms available to you to enforce protection of your personal information under that overseas law, we will not be liable for a breach of the Australian privacy principles if your personal information is mishandled in that jurisdiction. If your personal information is transferred to a jurisdiction which does not have data protection laws as comprehensive as Australia’s we will take reasonable steps to secure a contractual commitment from the recipient to handle your information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
The Privacy Officer from each of our Service locations will be responsible for management and protection of personal information, including its secure storage systems and associated procedures. This person or people must take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information collected by the Service is accurate and complete to enable provision of a high quality service while ensuring the health and safety of children and all workplace participants, particularly in the event of an emergency.
Security
Only the Privacy Officer is allowed to access personal information. The Privacy Officer may require verification of identity, confirmation of original documentation or any other reasonable steps to be taken to ensure that personal information is protected from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or unauthorised disclosure.
To ensure compliance by the Service, all Service staff must sign a Confidentiality Statement acknowledging their privacy and confidentiality obligations at commencement with the Service.
Personal Access
You have the right to access yours or your child’s personal information and may request the correction of any errors or an update where the information has changed. There are some circumstances under Australian privacy laws where we may not be able to give you access. We will tell you if this is the case. There is generally no cost for accessing your information. We will tell you if there is a charge before providing access.
Breach of Privacy
Employees must notify the Privacy Officer about a breach or suspected breach of confidentiality or in relation to personal information as soon as they suspect the breach or become aware a breach has occurred. In addition, the Privacy Officer must implement the Service’s Data Breach Response Plan and relevant individuals and applicable authorities, such as the Australian Information Commissioner (the Commissioner), must be notified as soon as possible.
The Privacy Officer must undertake a preliminary risk assessment of any breach or suspected breach, make detailed records of the same, and take any steps deemed reasonably necessary in the circumstances.
The Commissioner will only be notified of a breach where deemed appropriate due to the nature of the breach or associated risk.
Privacy Officer
Our Privacy Officer for privacy matters, including complaints, may be contacted by email manager@educhildcare.com.au or by mail PO Box 390 Beecroft NSW 2119.
Updates
We will notify of any updates to our Privacy and Confidentiality Policy through our Service Noticeboards and our Newsletter.
