Draft for client review
Effective date: August 25, 2026

United Roots Inclusive Childcare & Family Solutions respects the privacy of the families, partners, donors, and visitors who use our website and services.

This Privacy Policy explains the information we collect, why we collect it, how it may be used and shared, how it is protected, and the choices available to applicants and website visitors.

By using our website or submitting a childcare-assistance application, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with United Roots Inclusive Childcare & Family Solutions.

Parent and Guardian Information

We may collect:

• Full name

• Date of birth

• Phone number

• Email address

• Home address

• Mailing address

• Emergency-contact information

• Relationship to the child

• Signature and certification date

Information About Children

A parent, legal guardian, foster parent, kinship caregiver, or other authorized adult may provide:

• Child’s name

• Date of birth

• Age

• School information

• Childcare needs and schedule

• Allergy or medical-concern information

• Special-needs information

• Autism information

• Individualized Education Program information when relevant to childcare needs

Applicants should provide only the information necessary for evaluating the child’s childcare needs and the family’s request for assistance.

Household and Family Information

We may collect:

• Number of adults in the household

• Number of children in the household

• Total household size

• Parent or caregiver circumstances

• Government-assistance information

• Housing or shelter status

• Foster-care or kinship-care information

• Veteran-household information

• Information about additional services the family may need

Some questions may involve sensitive circumstances, including homelessness, domestic violence, or family crises. United Roots must confirm which of these questions are optional before the application is published.

Income and Benefits Information

We may collect information about:

• Monthly household income

• Employment income

• Child support

• Supplemental Security Income

• Social Security Disability Insurance

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

• Women, Infants, and Children benefits

• Unemployment benefits

• Housing assistance

• Foster-care payments

• Other relevant sources of income or assistance

Supporting Documents

Depending on the applicant’s circumstances, United Roots may request:

• Recent paycheck stubs

• Government-benefit or assistance letters

• Child-support documentation

• Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance award letters

• Housing-assistance verification

• Homeless-shelter verification

• Domestic-violence agency referrals

• Tax returns

• Other documents necessary to review eligibility

Applicants should upload only the documents requested for their application. Documents should be reviewed before uploading to remove unnecessary bank-account numbers, Social Security numbers, or unrelated personal information.

Childcare and Family-Support Needs

We may collect information about:

• Days and hours childcare is needed

• Full-time or part-time childcare

• Before-school or after-school care

• Drop-in childcare

• Reasons childcare is needed

• Employment, education, training, medical, or family circumstances

• Requests for parenting, employment, housing, food, transportation, counseling, domestic-violence, autism, or special-education resources

Website and Technical Information

Our website provider may automatically collect limited technical information, including:

• Internet Protocol address

• Browser and device type

• Pages visited

• Date and time of access

• Referring website

• Information necessary for website security and operation

United Roots must confirm whether the website will use analytics, advertising pixels, nonessential cookies, embedded maps, or other tracking tools before the website is launched.

2. How We Use Information

United Roots may use collected information to:

• Receive and review childcare-assistance applications

• Determine whether an applicant meets program requirements

• Verify household, income, and childcare information

• Contact applicants about missing information or documents

• Communicate eligibility decisions and next steps

• Coordinate approved childcare assistance

• Connect families with requested community resources

• Respond to questions and requests

• Manage relationships with childcare providers and community partners

• Process donations when applicable

• Maintain program records

• Improve our programs, services, and website

• Prevent fraud or misuse

• Meet legal, regulatory, funding, reporting, or auditing requirements

Sensitive application information will not be used for unrelated advertising.

3. How Information May Be Shared

United Roots does not sell applicants’ personal information.

Information may be shared only when reasonably necessary with:

• Authorized United Roots staff

• Authorized volunteers who assist with program administration

• Technology providers that host forms, store documents, maintain the website, or support program operations

• Licensed childcare providers involved in approved assistance

• Community organizations assisting with services requested by a family

• Funders or government agencies when required for program administration, reporting, or auditing

• Legal, accounting, or other professional advisers

• Government authorities when required by law

• Appropriate organizations when necessary to protect the safety or legal rights of an applicant, child, or another person

Whenever reasonably possible, reports provided to funders and partners will use aggregated or de-identified information.

United Roots must confirm exactly which organizations receive identifiable application information before the application is launched.

4. Website Development and Technology Providers

The United Roots website was developed by Classroom Panda LLC.

Classroom Panda LLC may provide technical website support and maintenance. Any access to personal information must be limited to what is necessary to perform authorized technical services. Classroom Panda LLC may not use applicant information for its own advertising, marketing, or unrelated business purposes.

The website may also use third-party providers for:

• Website hosting

• Application forms

• Document storage

• Email communications

• Website analytics

• Donation and payment processing

The client must confirm the form, hosting, storage, analytics, and payment providers before this Privacy Policy is published.

5. Children’s Privacy

The childcare-assistance form is intended to be completed by a parent, legal guardian, foster parent, kinship caregiver, or another authorized adult. It is not intended to be completed directly by a child.

An adult submitting information about a child confirms that they are authorized to provide that information for the purpose of requesting childcare assistance.

If United Roots learns that information about a child was submitted without proper authority, it will review the situation and take appropriate action, which may include deleting the information.

The client should obtain legal guidance regarding any additional parental-consent or children’s privacy requirements that may apply.

6. Medical and Special-Needs Information

United Roots may request limited information about allergies, medical concerns, disabilities, autism, or Individualized Education Programs when relevant to a child’s care or the family’s request for assistance.

Applicants should not upload complete medical records unless United Roots specifically requests them through an approved secure process.

United Roots is not a healthcare provider. Information submitted through the application may not receive the same legal protections as medical information maintained by a healthcare provider.

The client must confirm whether medical and special-needs questions are required or optional before the application is published.

7. Domestic-Violence and Safety Information

Applicants should avoid submitting information that could place themselves or another person at risk.

Applicants with safety concerns about receiving phone calls, emails, mail, or messages from United Roots should be allowed to provide a preferred safe method of communication.

The website and application should not be used to request emergency assistance. Anyone facing an immediate emergency should contact local emergency services or an appropriate crisis-support organization.

The client must confirm whether domestic-violence information and supporting referrals are optional.

8. Information Security

United Roots will use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to help protect personal information.

These safeguards should include:

• Limiting access to authorized individuals

• Using individual staff accounts and strong passwords

• Enabling multi-factor authentication when available

• Protecting information during transmission and storage

• Training individuals who handle sensitive information

• Reviewing third-party service providers

• Securely deleting information when it is no longer required

• Avoiding the transmission of sensitive documents through ordinary email

No online system can guarantee complete security. Applicants should use only the approved application and document-upload methods supplied by United Roots.

The client must confirm the organization’s actual security practices before this section is approved.

9. Information Retention

United Roots will retain application information and supporting documents only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Review and administer an application

• Provide approved assistance

• Meet funding, auditing, tax, reporting, or legal requirements

• Resolve disputes

• Prevent fraud or misuse

When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or destroyed according to the organization’s record-retention procedures.

United Roots must establish a specific retention period and deletion procedure before accepting real applications.

10. Privacy Choices and Requests

Subject to applicable laws and program-record requirements, applicants may contact United Roots to:

• Ask what personal information is maintained about them

• Request correction of inaccurate information

• Ask how their information is used

• Withdraw an application

• Request deletion of information when permitted

• Update communication preferences

Certain records may need to be retained for legal, funding, auditing, safety, or program-administration purposes.

United Roots may need to verify the requester’s identity and authority before completing a privacy request.

The official privacy email, phone number, and mailing address must be provided before the website is launched.

11. Cookies and Website Analytics

The website may use essential technologies required for security, accessibility, and basic website operation.

If United Roots uses analytics, advertising pixels, or other nonessential tracking tools, this Privacy Policy must be updated to identify those tools and explain their purpose.

United Roots must confirm whether Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or other tracking technologies will be used.

12. Donations

If United Roots accepts online donations, payment information will be processed through an approved third-party payment provider.

United Roots must confirm:

• The payment provider

• Whether recurring donations are available

• Whether United Roots directly receives or stores payment-card information

• Whether donations are tax-deductible

• Which privacy policy applies to payment processing

No claims about nonprofit status or tax deductibility should be published until the client confirms them.

13. External Links

The website may contain links to childcare providers, community organizations, donation platforms, or other external websites.

United Roots is not responsible for the privacy practices of websites it does not own or control. Visitors should review an external website’s privacy policy before providing personal information.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

United Roots may update this Privacy Policy when its programs, technology, service providers, or legal obligations change.

The effective date will be updated whenever changes are published. If a change materially affects how previously collected sensitive information is used or shared, United Roots will provide additional notice when required or appropriate.

15. Contact Information

Questions about this Privacy Policy or United Roots’ information practices should be directed to:

United Roots Inclusive Childcare & Family Solutions

The official privacy email address, phone number, and mailing address must be added before publication.

Items Requiring Client Confirmation

Before approving and publishing this Privacy Policy, the client must confirm:

• Official business address

• General contact email and phone number

• Privacy-contact email and phone number

• State of registration and service area

• Application-form provider

• Website-hosting provider

• Document-storage provider

• Email provider

• Analytics and tracking tools

• Donation platform

• Who can access applications

• Information shared with childcare providers and community organizations

• Required and optional application questions

• Record-retention period

• Record-deletion procedure

• Information-security practices

• Donation and tax status

• Whether Classroom Panda LLC can access live application information