The Children’s Reading Foundation (CRF) is committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of its website users while promoting its mission and protecting its intellectual property. The CRF’s online sites comprise, but are not limited to, all pages found under http://www.readingfoundation.org/ and http://www.readyforkindergarten.org/, or other websites owned by CRF that that may be added from time to time

Data Collection. The CRF may collect the internet protocol ("IP") address of users of its websites, aggregate information on which pages are accessed or visited, as well as such information as may be volunteered by the user (i.e., account registrations). The information collected may be used to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movements and gather broad demographic information. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information. The CRF will not sell or rent this information to third parties and shall only share personally identifiable information with third parties when (i) the person submitting the information authorizes it, (ii) sharing the information is a necessary operation of the site, for instance, to process a credit card transaction, or (iii) it is required by law.

Registration. In order to have full access to the CRF websites, users may be asked to complete a registration form which requires certain contact information (i.e., name and email address) to be used solely to provide the services which they have expressed interest. In addition, users may be asked to provide, at the user’s option, certain demographic information or other unique identifiers, which will assist the CRF in providing a more personalized experience on its websites. Directors of Reading Foundation chapters and READY for Kindergarten™ programs are typically requested to add information for their local programs, such as event details, class registration and contact information.

Retention.  The CRF will retain user personal data for as long as needed in order to provide services to the user, or for other legitimate business purposes such as resolving disputes, safety and security reasons, or complying with legal obligations. The retention period for personal data will depend on a number of factors, such as:

• The purpose for processing the data (such as whether the CRF needs to retain the data to provide the services);
• Any legal requirements that the CRF is subject to.

Children's Privacy. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which the CRF endorses, protects individually identifiable information about a child that is collected online, such as full name, home address, email address, telephone number or any other information that would allow someone to identify or contact the child.

Use of Cookies. Non-personal information and data may be automatically collected by the CRF websites through the use of "cookies”, which are small text files a website can use to recognize repeat users, facilitate the user's ongoing access to and use of the site, and allow a site to track usage behavior and compile aggregate data that will allow content improvements. Cookies are not programs that come onto a visitor's system and damage files.

Links to Other Websites and Services. The CRF sites may be linked to other sites and services that are not maintained by the CRF or READY! for Kindergarten, and the CRF has no responsibility for the linked websites. These links are provided solely for the convenience and information of visitors.

Ownership and Restrictions on Materials. Unless otherwise noted, all materials, including logos, images, illustrations, designs, icons, photographs, text and data, and other words now or heretofore used in carrying out programs, which are contained on any CRF website (collectively, the "Contents") are the copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, and/or intellectual properties owned or controlled by the CRF, including the names: The Children’s Reading Foundation; READY! for Kindergarten; and Read Up;

Users may view, copy, and print the Contents subject to the following conditions: (i) the material is used for noncommercial purposes only, (ii) all copyright and other proprietary notices are kept intact, (iii) there are no modifications to any materials, (iv) materials are not used in a manner that suggests an association with any of CRF products, services, or brands, and (v) quantities of materials are not downloaded to a database that can be used to avoid future downloads from the CRF websites. No right, title, or interest in any downloaded Contents or software is transferred as a result of any downloading or copying. Contents may not be reproduced (except as noted above), published, transmitted, distributed, displayed, modified, used to create derivative works from, sold or participated in any sale of, or exploited in any way, in whole or in part.

Disclaimer of Warranties. The materials in the CRF websites are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind either expressed or implied. The CRF does not warrant that the functions contained in the material will be uninterrupted or error-free, that defects will be corrected, that the sites or the servers that makes them available are free of viruses or other harmful components or make any representations regarding the use of or the result of the use of the material on the websites in terms of correctness, accuracy, reliability, or otherwise.

User Rights.  Depending on jurisdiction, users may have certain statutory rights in relation to their personal data. For example, users may have the right to:

• Access their personal data and information relating to how it is processed.
• Deletion of personal data from the CRF records.
• Update or correct user personal data.
• Transfer of personal data to a third party (right to data portability).
• Restrict how the CRF processes user personal data.
• Withdraw consent—where the CRF relies on consent as the legal basis for processing at any time. 
• Object to how the CRF processes user personal data.
• Lodge a complaint with the user’s local data protection authority.

Security.  The CRF implements commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and organizational measures designed to protect personal data from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.  However, no internet or email transmission is ever fully secure or error free.  Therefore, users should take special care in deciding what information to provide.  In addition, the CRF is not responsible for the circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the service or third-party websites.

The safety and security of each online experience is vital, and the CRF uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to protect credit card information as it is transmitted. SSL is the industry standard in Internet encryption technology. To protect against unauthorized access to passwords and computers, registered users are urged to sign off when finished using a shared computer

Limitation of Liability. Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, the CRF’s negligence, shall the CRF be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, any CRF website or a site that is linked to a CRF website, even if the CRF has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall the total liability of the CRF for all damages, losses, and causes of action exceed the amount paid by the user, if any, for accessing CRF sites.

Policy Changes. By using the CRF websites, users accept the practices described in this policy. Future policy changes will be posted on the CRF websites; however, all personal information will be treated in accordance with the privacy notice in effect at the time the information is collected. The CRF reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and to change or update information at any time without prior notice.

Approved by the Board: December 17, 2024