Last updated: 30 August 2026
Dashing Ducks Pre-School (“Dashing Ducks”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of the children, families, staff and visitors who deal with us. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and how you can access it or make a complaint.
We operate two early education and care centres:
- Dashing Ducks Castle Hill — 14 Garthowen Crescent, Castle Hill NSW 2154 — (02) 7240 6510 — castlehill@dashingducks.com.au
- Dashing Ducks Croydon — 8–12 Wychbury Avenue, Croydon NSW 2132 — (02) 7251 3390 — croydon@dashingducks.com.au
This policy applies to our centres and to this website, dashingducks.com.au.
Our obligations under Australian privacy law
We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Child care centres are required to comply with the Privacy Act regardless of annual turnover.
As an approved provider of education and care services, we also have obligations under the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations, and under Family Assistance Law in connection with the Child Care Subsidy. In some cases these laws require us to collect, keep or disclose information, and they override any preference you might otherwise express.
The information we collect
When you contact us or book a tour
If you complete an enquiry form, book a tour, call us, message us or subscribe to updates, we may collect:
- your name, email address and phone number
- your child’s first name and age or date of birth
- your preferred centre, start date and days of care
- anything else you choose to tell us in your message
When you enrol a child
Enrolment requires considerably more information, most of which we are legally required to collect. This may include:
- the child’s full name, date of birth, address and photograph
- parent and guardian names, contact details, addresses and occupations
- emergency contacts and authorised nominees
- Customer Reference Numbers (CRNs) and other details needed to process Child Care Subsidy
- immunisation records and status
- health information, including medical conditions, allergies, dietary requirements, medications and medical management plans
- developmental, learning and behavioural observations recorded as part of our educational program
- cultural background, language spoken at home and any specific cultural or religious requirements
- court orders, parenting plans or other documents affecting who may collect a child or make decisions about them
- attendance records, incident and injury records, and payment and billing information
When you apply for a job with us
We collect the information in your application, together with qualifications, Working with Children Check details, employment history, referee comments and any other information required to assess your suitability.
When you use this website
Our website collects standard technical information automatically, including your IP address, browser and device type, referring website, the pages you view and the dates and times of your visit. This information is generally not used to identify you personally.
Sensitive information
Health information, immunisation status, cultural background and similar details are “sensitive information” under the Privacy Act and attract additional protection. We collect sensitive information only where it is reasonably necessary for the care and education of your child, where you have consented, or where the law requires or authorises us to do so. We do not use sensitive information for marketing.
How we collect information
Wherever practical we collect personal information directly from you — through enquiry and enrolment forms, in conversation, by phone or email, or through our childcare management software. Occasionally we collect information from third parties, such as a previous service, a health practitioner, Services Australia or a government authority, where you have consented or the law permits it.
How we use your information
We use personal information to:
- respond to your enquiry and arrange a tour
- assess enrolment applications and manage waitlists
- deliver education and care, and plan our educational program
- keep children safe, including administering medication and responding to medical emergencies
- communicate with families about their child, our service, events and fees
- process fees, subsidies and payments
- meet our obligations to regulatory authorities and to Services Australia
- recruit and manage staff
- improve our website and understand how families find us
- let you know about our service and offers, where you have not opted out
You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in any email, replying STOP to an SMS, or contacting your centre directly. We will still send you communications about your child’s care.
Cookies, analytics and advertising
This website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, remember your preferences, measure how the site is used, and make our advertising more relevant. The tools we currently use include:
- Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics and Google Ads — to measure website traffic, understand which pages people find useful, and measure the performance of our advertising
- Meta Pixel — to measure the performance of advertising we run on Facebook and Instagram, and to show ads to people who have visited our website
- Our customer relationship management platform — to record enquiries, tour bookings and our communications with you
These tools may set cookies and collect device and usage information. You can opt out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, manage Google ad personalisation at Google Ad Settings, and manage Meta ad preferences in your Facebook or Instagram account settings. You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings, though parts of our site may not work as intended if you do.
Who we share information with
We do not sell personal information. We may disclose it to:
- our educators and staff, so far as they need it to care for your child
- our childcare management, enrolment, communications and payment providers
- Services Australia and the Australian Government Department responsible for education, in connection with the Child Care Subsidy and Family Assistance Law
- the NSW Department of Education as the regulatory authority, and ACECQA
- health practitioners, ambulance officers and emergency services in a medical emergency
- child protection authorities and police, where we are required or permitted by law to do so — including our mandatory reporting obligations
- our insurers, auditors and professional advisers
- anyone else you have authorised, or where disclosure is required or authorised by law
Overseas disclosure
Some of the software providers we rely on — including our website, analytics, advertising and customer relationship management platforms — store data on servers outside Australia, principally in the United States. Where we disclose personal information to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.
How we store and protect information
Personal information is held in secure electronic systems and, where records are kept in hard copy, in locked storage at the relevant centre. We use access controls, staff confidentiality obligations, and reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
We keep records for as long as we need them and for the periods required by the Education and Care Services National Regulations, Family Assistance Law, and taxation and employment law. Some records relating to children must be kept for many years after a child leaves our service. When information is no longer required and we are not required to retain it, we destroy or de-identify it.
Data breaches
We are covered by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify the individuals affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by law.
Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you or your child, and ask us to correct anything that is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. Contact your centre using the details at the top of this policy. We will respond within a reasonable period, and will usually ask you to verify your identity first.
There are limited circumstances in which we may refuse access — for example where giving access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of another person, or where the law requires or authorises us to refuse. If we refuse, we will tell you why in writing.
Children’s privacy
Because of the age of the children in our care, personal information about a child is generally provided by, and dealt with through, a parent or guardian. We take particular care with photographs and images of children: we ask for your consent on enrolment, you can vary or withdraw that consent at any time in writing, and we do not identify children by full name in public material.
Other websites
Our website may link to other websites, including social media platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.
Complaints
If you believe we have mishandled your personal information, please contact your centre in the first instance so we can try to resolve it. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to respond within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:
- Website: oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
- Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. The current version will always be available on this page, with the date it was last updated shown at the top.
Contact us
For any question about this policy or about how we handle personal information, contact the centre your family deals with:
- Castle Hill — (02) 7240 6510 — castlehill@dashingducks.com.au
- Croydon — (02) 7251 3390 — croydon@dashingducks.com.au