Last updated April 7, 2026

Introduction

Happy Ladders ("we," "us," "our," or the "Company") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains our data practices for parents, caregivers, and children using the Happy Ladders app.

The Happy Ladders app is a parent-led early intervention platform that helps caregivers track child development, log activities, and connect with a supportive community. Our mission is to provide a secure, private space for families working with regional centers on early intervention services.

Health-related information. The app is designed around early intervention and developmental support. Information you or your regional center provide may include health data or similarly sensitive information under applicable laws (for example, developmental status, behaviors, skills, therapy-style goals, and related notes). Section 1.1 below states explicitly what categories we access and collect and how we use them.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Health data and developmental information

Depending on how you use Happy Ladders, we access and collect information that may qualify as health-related or similarly sensitive data. This information is entered or authorized by parents and caregivers through the account; we do not collect health information directly from children.

Categories we may access and/or collect (including when tied to your child's profile or your caregiver account):

• Identity and program context: Child name, date of birth, and referral or regional-center-related details needed to deliver the service
• Developmental and skill-related assessments: Results from in-app or caregiver-completed assessments about skills, milestones, or related domains
• Observations and notes: Behavioral notes, progress notes, and other free-text you add about your child's development or support
• Goals and care-plan-style records: Therapeutic or intervention goals, targets, minutes, and progress toward those goals
• Activity and session records: Logs of activities you record with your child (including dates, duration, and descriptions), and related app usage tied to those features
• Media you choose to upload: Photos or videos in profiles or the community that may show or describe health, behavior, or development

How we use health-related data: We use this information only to provide and improve the Happy Ladders service—including progress tracking, assessments, goals, notifications, community features you opt into, customer support, safety and fraud prevention, and analytics and product diagnostics as described elsewhere in this policy. We do not sell health-related information. We do not use it for third-party advertising. It may be processed by the categories of service providers listed in Section 4, under contractual safeguards and for the purposes described in this policy.

1.2 Initial Registration Data

When you register for Happy Ladders through a regional center referral, we collect:

• Child Information: First name, last name, and date of birth
• Family Information: Address (from regional center records)
• Caregiver Contact: Email address and phone number
• All other information is optional and caregiver-supplied

1.3 Caregiver-Supplied Data (100% Voluntary)

The following information is collected only when you choose to provide it:

• Additional Child Profile Information: Photos, behavioral notes
• Activity Logs: Records of activities completed with your child (dates, times, duration, and notes)
• Assessment Results: Caregiver assessments and child skill assessments
• Goals and Progress: Therapeutic goals, target minutes, progress notes
• Community Contributions: Optional posts, comments, and photos/videos shared in the community

1.4 Automatically Collected Data

Authentication & Account Data

• Email address used for login
• Authentication method (email/password, Google Sign-In, or Apple Sign-In)
• Unique user identifier assigned at account creation
• Account creation and last login timestamps
• Password (encrypted and managed by our authentication provider)

User Profile Data

• First and last name
• Phone number
• Display name and profile photo
• Bio and profile description
• Account verification status
• Language preference
• SMS opt-in status
• Terms acceptance records

Activity & Behavior Tracking

We maintain records of your app usage to support your child's progress tracking:

• Activity Logs: Timestamps of every activity you log, activity details, duration, and child reference
• Visit Logs: Records of each app session — user ID, child ID, date, and timestamp
• Event Logs: Records of significant app events
• Assessment Logs: Assessment completion dates and results
• Error Logs: Application errors encountered during use
• Community Activity: Posts, comments, bookmarks, and following relationships

Analytics Data

We use analytics services to understand how the app is used and improve functionality:

• Screen views and page navigation
• Feature interactions (button taps, form completions)
• Account creation and authentication events
• Session frequency and duration
• User engagement metrics

Session Recording

We use a session recording service to help us understand user behavior and improve the app interface.

• What is recorded: Screen recordings of your interactions with the app (gestures, taps, navigation flows)
• Privacy protection: Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is automatically obfuscated — your name, email, and sensitive data are masked in all recordings
• User identity: Sessions are associated with an internal identifier for troubleshooting purposes only
• Access: Recordings are reviewed only by authorized team members for app improvement

Crash Reporting & Performance Diagnostics

• App crashes and unhandled exceptions
• Error stack traces and diagnostic data
• App performance metrics (load times, responsiveness)
• Associated with your user ID to assist with support

Device Information

• Device model and type (iOS/Android)
• Operating system version
• Device identifiers (including IDFA on iOS, requested via App Tracking Transparency)
• Push notification tokens for delivering in-app alerts
• Device capabilities and settings

Push Notification Data

Our push notification service syncs user properties to enable personalized reminders and updates. Data synced includes:

• Email address and phone number
• Language preference
• Profile and assessment completion status
• Child names (to personalize notification content)
• Goal data and time commitments
• Resource access history
• Activity types logged
• Community engagement data (posts, comments, following)
• Skill level information
• First and last active timestamps

This data is used to:

• Send personalized reminders about activity goals
• Notify you of community interactions
• Deliver relevant resources and encouragement
• Provide app updates and announcements

Deep Linking & Attribution Data

We collect data to understand how you discovered and access the app:

• Links clicked to access Happy Ladders
• Referring source (app store, email, referral link, etc.)
• Installation attribution data
• Deep link parameters and navigation paths

Transactional Email Data

When you sign up or reset your password, we transmit the following to our email delivery service:

• Email address
• First and last name
• Verification links and tokens

2. How We Use Your Information

2.1 Core App Functionality

Health-related and developmental information described in Section 1.1 is used for the following core features, together with the account and technical data described in Section 1:

• Activity Tracking: Recording activities you log to track your child's progress
• Assessments: Storing assessment results to monitor skill development
• Community: Enabling you to share experiences and receive support
• Goals: Tracking therapeutic goals and time commitments
• Notifications: Sending reminders about goals and community interactions

2.2 Analytics & App Improvement

• Understanding how features are used
• Identifying areas for improvement
• Troubleshooting technical issues
• Measuring app adoption and engagement
• Analyzing user flow and interface effectiveness

2.3 Support & Maintenance

• Providing customer support and responding to issues
• Troubleshooting app problems
• Diagnosing and fixing crashes
• Monitoring app performance
• Reviewing anonymized session recordings to improve user experience

2.4 Development

• Improving app features and user experience
• Testing new functionality
• Understanding user needs and preferences
• Making data-driven development decisions

2.5 Communication

• Sending transactional emails (account verification, password resets)
• Sending notifications about your activities and goals
• Notifying you of community interactions
• Providing app updates and announcements

2.6 Legal Compliance

• Complying with legal obligations
• Protecting against fraud and abuse
• Enforcing our Terms of Service

3. Data Retention

3.1 Activity & Assessment Data

Activity logs, assessments, goals, and child information are retained as long as your account is active. These form the core records of your child's progress and are essential to app functionality.

Account deletion and de-identified retention: If you request account deletion, we remove all personally identifiable information and other data that could reasonably be used to link activity logs, assessments, goals, or child records to you or your child. That identifiable information is not retained in a retrievable form. Within 30 days, we complete this process. We may retain a subset of the underlying technical or behavioral information only after it has been irreversibly de-identified so it cannot reasonably be associated with any individual or household, and we use that de-identified information for product development and research.

3.2 Analytics & Session Data

• Analytics events: Retained for up to 26 months per our analytics provider's standard retention policy
• Session recordings: Retained for 90 days for quality assurance and troubleshooting

3.3 Crash & Performance Reports

Crash and diagnostic reports are retained for approximately 90 days for debugging purposes.

3.4 Email Records

Verification emails and transactional records are retained for 1 year for account history.

4. Third-Party Service Providers

We work with third-party service providers who process data on our behalf. All providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the purpose we specify.

We use service providers in the following categories:

• Authentication services — manage secure user login and identity verification
• Cloud database services — securely store user profiles, activity logs, and app data, including health-related or developmental information you provide
• Analytics services — help us understand how features are used to improve the app
• Session recording services — capture anonymized user interactions (PII obfuscated) to improve UX
• Push notification services — deliver personalized in-app reminders and updates
• Attribution and deep linking services — track how users discover and access the app
• Crash reporting services — diagnose and fix app errors and instability
• Transactional email services — send account verification and password reset emails
• Sign-in providers — enable login via Google or Apple accounts (if selected by user)

Each category of provider receives only the data necessary to perform their function. We do not sell your data to any third party.

To request a list of current data sub-processors, contact us at support@happyladders.com.

5. Data Security

5.1 Security Measures

We implement multiple security measures to protect your data:

• Encryption in Transit: All data is transmitted using HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Encryption at Rest: Data is encrypted in our cloud database infrastructure
• Authentication: Secure password management with industry-standard authentication providers
• Access Controls: Database security rules limit data access to authorized users only
• Cloud Infrastructure: Hosted on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure with built-in security

5.2 Limitations

While we implement industry-standard security measures, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.

6. Your Privacy Rights & Choices

6.1 Data Access & Portability

You have the right to:

• Access all information we maintain about you and your child
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Contact support@happyladders.com for data access requests

6.2 Data Correction & Deletion

You have the right to:

• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete optional data you've provided
• Request full account deletion (we remove all linkable personal information within 30 days; see Section 3.1 for de-identified retention)

6.3 Opt-Out Options

• Push Notifications: You can disable push notifications in app settings or your device settings
• Analytics Tracking: You can limit analytics tracking through your device's privacy settings (iOS: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking; Android: Settings > Google > Ads)
• Email: You can unsubscribe from non-essential emails through links in the messages

6.4 Device Settings

• iOS App Tracking Transparency: You can allow or deny cross-app tracking through your device settings (Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking)
• Android Advertising ID: You can limit ad tracking through your Google account settings

7. COPPA Compliance (Children Under 13)

7.1 Parental Consent Model

Happy Ladders is designed for parents and caregivers as the primary users. While our platform supports tracking child development for early intervention purposes, parents and caregivers control all data entry and sharing.

7.2 No Direct Collection from Children

• We do not directly collect data from children
• Parents and caregivers enter all information about the child
• Parents must verify they are authorized guardians during signup

7.3 Parental Rights

As a parent/caregiver, you have the right to:

• Review all information we maintain about your child
• Request correction or deletion of your child's personal information (see Section 3.1 for how we remove linkable data and retain only irreversibly de-identified information)
• Revoke consent and delete your account (we remove all child-related information that can identify or be linked to your child; see Section 3.1)
• Contact support@happyladders.com for COPPA-related concerns

7.4 Compliance

We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by:

• Requiring parental/caregiver registration and consent
• Limiting data collection to what's necessary for the service
• Protecting children's privacy to a higher standard
• Not using children's data for behavioral advertising

8. CCPA Privacy Rights (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, you have additional privacy rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

8.1 Right to Know

You have the right to request what personal information is collected, used, shared, and sold.

8.2 Right to Delete

You may request deletion of personal information we hold about you (subject to certain exceptions). Information we have irreversibly de-identified so it cannot reasonably be linked to you or your household is not personal information and is not subject to deletion in the same way; see Section 3.1.

8.3 Right to Opt-Out

You have the right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. Happy Ladders does not sell your personal information to third parties. However, sharing data with analytics, session recording, and notification services may constitute "sharing" under CCPA.

8.4 Right to Non-Discrimination

We will not deny, charge different prices, or provide lower quality service based on your CCPA privacy choices.

8.5 Submitting CCPA Requests

To exercise your CCPA rights, contact:

• Email: support@happyladders.com

We will respond to verified requests within 45 days.

9. European Privacy (GDPR Considerations)

If you are in the European Union or European Economic Area, please note:

• We process data based on your consent (registration agreement)
• We have Data Processing Agreements with all third-party processors
• You have rights under GDPR including access, correction, erasure, and data portability. After we irreversibly de-identify data so you are no longer identifiable, that information may no longer constitute personal data we are required to erase; see Section 3.1.
• For GDPR-related inquiries, contact support@happyladders.com

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Posting the new policy in the app
• Sending email notification of significant changes

Your continued use of Happy Ladders after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or our data practices:

Email: support@happyladders.com

We typically respond to privacy inquiries within 5-7 business days.

Thank you for trusting Happy Ladders with your family's information.