La Jolla Montessori School Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2026

Introduction

Welcome to La Jolla Montessori School  ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of our prospective, current, and former families. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website (LaJollaMontessoriSchool.com), submit inquiries, and interact with our admissions and enrollment systems.

1. Information We Collect


We collect information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked with you or your child. This includes:

  • Information You Provide Directly:
    • Inquiries & Tours: Names, email addresses, phone numbers, and child’s age/grade level when you request information, schedule a tour, or use our contact forms.
    • Admissions & Enrollment: Detailed family information, student dates of birth, academic history, health/allergy information, emergency contacts, and payment/billing details required for application and enrollment.
  • Information Collected Automatically: Device information, IP addresses, browser types, and website interaction data collected through cookies and tracking technologies (detailed in Section 3).

2. Children’s Privacy and Student Data

Because our Montessori program serves children from 6 months to 6 years, protecting children’s privacy is our highest priority.

  • COPPA Compliance: We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13 online. All website inquiries, applications, and portal interactions must be conducted by a parent or legal guardian. If we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information online without verifiable parental consent, we will delete that information immediately.
  • Student Data Protection: Information regarding a student's developmental progress, classroom observations, and health records is strictly confidential. This data is used solely for educational and administrative purposes and is never shared with third-party marketers or advertisers.

3. Third-Party Tracking, Analytics, and Website Technologies

To optimize our website performance, understand user navigation, and effectively share our school's mission with prospective families, our website integrates third-party software, scripts, and tracking tools.

  • Specific Technologies in Use:
    • Google Analytics: Used to collect information about how visitors interact with our site (e.g., pages visited, time spent, browser type, and masked IP addresses). This data helps us improve our educational resources and user experience.
    • Google Tag Manager: Used to centrally deploy, manage, and organize functional scripts and tracking tags.
    • Meta / Facebook Pixel: Used to track user interactions on our website for marketing purposes. This allows us to measure the effectiveness of our school enrollment campaigns and deliver relevant information to families on social media.
  • Prior Consent and Opt-Out Mechanisms:
    In compliance with California law, our website utilizes a "Prior Consent" model. No tracking, behavioral analytics, or marketing pixels are deployed or allowed to record your session data until you have been presented with our Cookie Notice and have provided affirmative, explicit consent. You may modify or revoke your tracking consent at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link located in the footer of our website.
  • Processing of Interactive Communications (Chat and Forms):
    When you utilize interactive features on our website (such as contact forms or tour scheduling tools), you acknowledge and agree that your inputs and communications are processed in real-time. These communications are facilitated by our authorized third-party service providers strictly for school administration, customer support, and quality assurance purposes. By using these tools, you provide your express consent to the real-time transmission and processing of these communications.
  • Protection of Student and Enrollment Data:
    We maintain a strict boundary between general website marketing and sensitive school data. Marketing pixels are intentionally disabled on all official admissions applications, enrollment portals, and any pages where parent/child health or developmental information is collected.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Process inquiries, applications, and enrollment forms.
  • Communicate with you regarding school events, waitlists, and admissions status.
  • Manage school operations, billing, and educational programming.
  • Analyze website traffic to improve our digital presence (subject to your consent).
  • Comply with legal obligations, state licensing requirements, and school safety protocols.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information or your child’s personal information. We may share information only in the following circumstances:

  • Service Providers: With trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating our school (e.g., student information systems, tuition billing platforms, and secure website hosting). These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and may not use it for their own purposes.
  • Legal & Safety Requirements: When required by law, subpoena, or to protect the safety, rights, and property of our students, staff, and community.

6. Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), California residents have the right to:

  • Know: Request disclosure of the specific pieces and categories of personal information we have collected about you.
  • Delete: Request the deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal and educational record retention exceptions.
  • Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
  • Opt-Out: Opt-out of the sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising (handled via our Cookie Consent management tool).

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 8. We will not discriminate against you or your child for exercising these privacy rights.

7. Data Security and Retention

We implement industry-standard physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your family's information from unauthorized access or disclosure. We retain personal and student information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, or as required by California educational and licensing laws.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

La Jolla Montessori School
8745 La Jolla Scenic Dr. N
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-999-0364
info@LaJollaMontessoriSchool.com