Privacy Policy

To provide high-quality early learning and care, and to ensure the smooth operation of our school, we may collect information such as:

 

• For children: Names, dates of birth, developmental records, health information (including allergies, medical conditions, immunisation status), and, with your explicit consent, photographs or videos taken during school activities.
• For parents/guardians: Names, contact details (phone numbers, email addresses, home address), emergency contact information, payment details, and information related to Child Care Subsidy.
• For our team members (educators and staff): Information required for employment, safety, and regulatory purposes.

We always aim to collect personal information in fair, respectful, and open ways:

• Primarily, this information comes directly from you when you enrol your child, through enrolment forms, initial discussions, and ongoing conversations.
• Our educators also make observations and keep records as part of thoughtfully documenting and supporting your child’s unique learning journey and development.
• On occasion, and only with your consent, we might gather relevant information from other sources you approve, such as previous childcare providers or health professionals, to best support your child.

Understanding and using your information thoughtfully allows us to:

• Provide a safe, nurturing, and stimulating learning environment that is responsive to your child’s individual strengths, interests, and needs.
• Meet our legal and regulatory obligations under the Education and Care Services National Law and other relevant Australian and Victorian legislation.
• Communicate effectively with you about your child’s progress, daily experiences, school events, and any important updates.
• Administer enrolments, fee payments, and assist with Child Care Subsidy processes.
• Ensure the health, safety, and overall positive experience of all children and staff within our school.

We use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, as outlined above, always with a commitment to discretion. We will not share your personal information with third parties without your consent, except where:

• It is required or authorised by Australian law (e.g., to regulatory bodies, or for child protection purposes).
• It is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to someone’s health, safety, or well-being.
• It is needed to provide emergency medical treatment. Within our school, our educators and staff access information relevant to your child’s care and education respectfully and only on a need-to-know basis to best support them.

We take our responsibility to protect your personal information very seriously. We implement sensible physical and electronic security measures to safeguard the information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. This includes secure storage for paper records and appropriate technical safeguards for electronic information. We retain information only for as long as legally required or necessary for our functions and dispose of it securely when no longer needed.

We believe in transparency and partnership. You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and your child, and to ask for corrections if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date. We encourage you to connect with our School Director to discuss such requests.

When you visit the Melton South Early School website or interact with our online communication platforms (if applicable), we may collect general usage information to help us improve our services. Any personal information you choose to submit via online forms will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to be curious about and review the privacy settings of any third-party platforms we might use for communication with our families.

Your peace of mind is important to us. If you have any concerns or a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, we warmly encourage you to connect with our School Director. We take all concerns seriously and will work with you respectfully and diligently to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

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 made available (for example, on our website or at the school office). We encourage you to review it periodically to stay informed.

For any questions, further information about our Privacy Policy, or to discuss our privacy practices, please connect with:

The School Director
Melton South Early School
98 Rees Road, Melton South, Victoria, 3338
03 9087 8600
info@meltonsouthes.com.au