Privacy Policy

OUR COMMITMENT TO PRIVACY

At MERAKIDS Childcare, protecting the privacy of your family is a responsibility we take seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect personal information provided to us by parents, guardians, children, and staff. MERAKIDS operates in full compliance with Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

1. WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

MERAKIDS collects personal information that is necessary to provide safe, high-quality childcare services. This may include:

• Full names of children, parents, and guardians

• Home address, phone numbers, and email addresses

• Emergency contact names and numbers

• Child's date of birth and age

• Health information including allergies, medical conditions, and medications

• Immunization records

• Custody or legal guardianship arrangements where relevant

• Incident or accident reports involving your child

• Attendance records

• Payment and billing information

• Photos or videos of children and staff (with consent — see Section 6)

2. WHY WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

We collect personal information for the following purposes only:

• To enroll and provide licensed childcare services to your child

• To maintain the health, safety, and wellbeing of all children in our care

• To communicate with families regarding their child's daily activities, progress, and any concerns

• To meet Alberta childcare licensing and regulatory requirements

• To process fee payments and maintain billing records

• To respond to emergencies involving your child

• To create and maintain Individual Support Plans where required

• To share updates, newsletters, or program information with enrolled families

We will not collect personal information beyond what is necessary for these purposes.

3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

Your personal information is used solely by authorized MERAKIDS staff to carry out the purposes listed above. We do not use your personal information for marketing to third parties, sell your information to anyone, or share it without your knowledge and consent except as required by law.

4. WHO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH

MERAKIDS will only share your personal information in the following circumstances:

• With Alberta Children and Family Services or licensing authorities as required by law

• With emergency services (paramedics, hospital) in the event of a medical emergency involving your child

• With third-party service providers who assist us in operating our centre (such as payroll or accounting services), under strict confidentiality obligations

• With other parties only with your express written consent

MERAKIDS will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party.

5. HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

MERAKIDS takes reasonable physical, administrative, and technical measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or loss. These measures include:

• Restricting access to personal information to authorized staff only

• Storing physical records in secure, locked facilities

• Using password-protected systems for digital records

• Disposing of personal information securely when it is no longer required

6. PHOTOGRAPHY & MEDIA

MERAKIDS creates content to share the daily experiences of our centre, including photos and videos featuring children and staff. To protect the privacy of all individuals, we apply mosaic (pixelation) to the faces of all children and staff in any content published publicly on our website, social media, or other platforms.

Separate media consent is obtained from all families during the enrollment process. You may withdraw your media consent at any time by providing written notice to info@merakids.ca. Withdrawal will apply to future content only.

MERAKIDS will never publicly identify, name, or tag any child in shared content.