Privacy Policy

DCareTree ("DCareTree", "we", "us") provides website-building and business-management software for family daycare providers and small childcare centers at dcaretree.com and on subdomains we host for our customers. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using DCareTree you agree to this policy.

1. Who we serve, and whose data we hold

Three groups of people interact with DCareTree:

• Daycare owners — our customers, who create accounts and manage their business.
• Parents and guardians — invited by a daycare to use the Parent Portal.
• Website visitors — people browsing our site or a daycare's website.

For information that daycare owners enter about children and families (profiles, attendance, health notes, photos), the daycare is the data controller and DCareTree acts as a processor on their behalf. Questions about that data should go first to the daycare.

2. Information we collect

• Account information: name, email address, and password credentials (managed by Firebase Authentication; we never see your password).
• Business information: daycare name, address, phone, license number, hours, and the content you publish on your website (programs, photos, tuition rates, posts).
• Children & family records entered by daycares: child names, dates of birth, allergy and medical notes, emergency contacts, attendance, daily reports, and family contact details.
• Payment information: processed entirely by Stripe. We never store card numbers; we keep records of plan, subscription status, and invoice amounts.
• Usage information: standard logs (IP address, browser type, pages viewed) and analytics used to operate and improve the service.

3. Children's privacy

DCareTree is designed for use by adults. We do not knowingly collect information directly from children, and children do not have accounts. Information aboutchildren is entered and controlled by their daycare provider, with consent obtained by that provider from parents or guardians. Photos of children appear on a daycare's public website only when the daycare chooses to publish them; parents should contact their daycare to have a photo removed, and we will assist promptly with any such request sent to us.

4. How we use information

• To provide the service: hosting websites, running dashboards, processing enrollments, sending notifications you request.
• To process subscription payments through Stripe.
• To send transactional email (receipts, enrollment notices, portal invitations, daily reports) via our email provider, Resend.
• To secure, debug, and improve DCareTree.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use children's information for advertising of any kind.

5. How information is shared

• Service providers: Google Firebase (authentication, database, file storage), Stripe (payments), Resend (email), Vercel (hosting), and Google Maps (location display). Each receives only what it needs to perform its function.
• The public: only content a daycare chooses to publish on its website.
• Legal requirements: if required by law, subpoena, or to protect safety and prevent fraud.

6. Security

Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest. Each daycare's records are isolated by security rules so one daycare can never read another's data, and parents can only access records for their own family. Access to production systems is restricted and logged. No system is perfectly secure; if we learn of a breach affecting your data we will notify affected users promptly.

7. Data retention & your choices

• You may access and update your account and business information at any time from your dashboard.
• Daycares can delete student, family, and business records at any time; deletion is permanent.
• Deleting your daycare account removes your website and stored records, except minimal billing records we must keep for tax and accounting law.
• To request deletion or a copy of your data, email us at the address below.

8. Cookies

We use only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and to operate the service. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

9. Changes & contact

We may update this policy as the service evolves; material changes will be announced in the dashboard or by email. Questions or requests: privacy@dcaretree.com.