Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

SparkSteps (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is operated by G&J Family Ventures LLC. SparkSteps is a family-centered task, routine, and motivation support platform designed to help children take small, achievable steps toward daily responsibilities — without pressure, punishment, shame, or behavior enforcement.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and dignity of every family that uses our platform. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and your rights regarding that information.

2. Our Privacy Principles

Our approach to data is guided by the same core values that govern the entire SparkSteps product:

• Child dignity first. We never collect more data about children than is strictly necessary to deliver the service, and we never use children’s data for advertising, profiling, or behavioral targeting.
• Parents control the experience. Parents configure household settings, child profiles, and data preferences. Children do not create accounts or provide personal information independently.
• No advertising. No selling data. We do not display ads, and we never sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties.
• Security is a product feature. Data is protected with row-level security, household-scoped access control, and encrypted communications.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Parent Account Information

When a parent or guardian creates an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Password (stored in hashed form only)
• Display name (optional)

3.2 Child Profile Information

Child profiles are created and managed by parents. Child profiles represent participation, not legal identity. We collect only:

• A display name chosen by the parent
• Age or age range (optional, used only to tailor the experience)

Children do not authenticate independently. They do not provide email addresses, passwords, or any personal information directly. All child interactions occur within a parent-authenticated session.

3.3 Usage and Activity Data

We collect data about how families use SparkSteps to provide and improve the service:

• Missions, steps, and rhythms created by parents
• Task completion records
• Points earned and rewards redeemed
• Application settings and preferences

This data is scoped to the household and is accessible only to authenticated parent accounts within that household.

3.4 Technical Information

We automatically collect limited technical information to operate and secure the service:

• Device type and operating system
• App version
• Crash reports and performance logs
• IP address (used for security; not stored long-term)

4. How We Use Information

We use collected information exclusively to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the SparkSteps service
• Authenticate parent accounts and secure household data
• Display progress and insights to parents
• Deliver a calm, supportive experience to children
• Respond to parent inquiries and support requests
• Detect and prevent security threats and abuse

We do not use information to:

• Serve advertisements of any kind
• Build behavioral profiles of children
• Optimize engagement metrics or maximize screen time
• Enable competitive comparisons between children
• Create dependency loops or urgency-driven notifications

5. Information Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We may share limited information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers. We use trusted third-party providers (such as hosting and authentication infrastructure) that process data on our behalf under strict contractual obligations.
• Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
• Safety. We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that it is necessary to protect the safety of any person or to address fraud or security issues.

6. Children’s Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

SparkSteps is designed with children’s privacy as a foundational concern, not an afterthought.

• We do not collect personal information directly from children.
• Child profiles are created and managed entirely by parents or guardians.
• Children do not have independent accounts, email addresses, or login credentials.
• We do not use children’s data for advertising, behavioral targeting, or any purpose beyond delivering the core service.
• Parents may review, modify, or delete their child’s profile and associated data at any time.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child without parental consent, please contact us immediately and we will delete it promptly.

7. Data Security

Security and trust are product features at SparkSteps. We implement:

• Row-level security ensuring data is household-scoped
• Encrypted data in transit and at rest
• Secure authentication with hashed credentials
• Server-authoritative architecture where clients are untrusted
• Regular security reviews and audits

While no system can guarantee absolute security, we design for auditability and apply the principle of least privilege throughout our infrastructure.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to provide the service and fulfill the purposes described in this policy.

• Parents may delete individual child profiles and associated data at any time from their account settings.
• Parents may request full account and household deletion by contacting us.
• Upon deletion, we remove personal information from active systems promptly. Some information may be retained in backups for a limited period before automatic purging.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you and your household
• Correct inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your data
• Export your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent for optional data processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the address below.

10. Third-Party Services

SparkSteps may integrate with third-party services (such as authentication providers or cloud infrastructure). These services have their own privacy policies. We select providers that meet our security and privacy standards and limit the data shared with them to what is necessary.

SparkSteps does not contain links to social media platforms or third-party advertising networks.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify parents through the app or by email before the changes take effect. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us: