Small Step Kids , a project of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and The Advertising Council, Inc. (Ad Council)  is committed to providing an engaging, safe, and secure Web site for kids and their parents , as well as  teachers. To show our commitment to the privacy and security of our visitors,   Small Step Kids  adheres to the requirements of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) regarding personally identifiable information for children 13 years of age and under. Our policy is to create content that requires as little collection of information from our visitors as possible, and we take special measures to help kids maintain and protect their personal privacy.

Interactive Features

To fully engage Small Step Kids visitors and to enhance their experiences, there are several interactive features on the site. In some instances, users may choose to submit information about themselves, their likes and dislikes, and their preferences. This information is not retained or archived on the site. In other instances, users may be given the opportunity to store submitted information on the site to return to later. In these instances, no personal identifiers are required to store information on the site. Information can be retrieved by entering a user i.d. and password which is chosen by the user. In all instances, no personally identifiable information will be retained or archived on the site.

Security

Small Step Kids maintains an online environment that protects the security, privacy and integrity of all information collected and used within the site. Information is stored within server facilities that use the latest industry standards and practices for protecting information.

Advertising

Small Step Kids does not accept paid advertising in any form, from any organization.

Links to other sites

Small Step Kids is dedicated to providing as safe an environment as possible for visitors while they are on our site. To enhance the information on our site, we may link to other sites for related content, but we cannot be responsible for the information contained there. If a visitor leaves our site through a link on one of our pages, a box is displayed alerting the visitor that they are no longer surfing on our site. For the online safety of kids as well as parents and teachers, we advise that users check the privacy policies of these sites as well. Parents should also review the content of the sites their children visit, to ensure that it is appropriate for them.

Aggregate Log File Data

Log data is information automatically collected from the computers of site visitors. Log data includes such things as the types of computer operating systems, the types of Internet browsers, and the names of the users' Internet Service Providers. It can be viewed only in terms of statistical data and does not include any information that is personally identifiable. This data is used to ensure that the site is accessible to all users. Log data also includes quantitative information such as which site pages and activities are accessed most often, how long a user stays on the web site, how a user gets to the web site, and what keywords a user types into a search engine to find our site. This information is used only to aid future site development by showing which features and pages users visit most and helps us to improve the site for our visitors.

IP Addresses

IP addresses, which are identification numbers assigned to your specific computer, are not collected. We do not use IP addresses to personally identify users.

How We Collect Aggregate Log File Data

Aggregate log data is collected automatically. The user voluntarily provides all other information collected on the site. Cookies, which are pieces of code embedded into users' computers by web servers, are not used at Small Step Kids.

Contact Us

Small Step Kids welcomes your suggestions, comments and concerns about privacy issues. Please contact us at:

Small Step Kids
c/o The Advertising Council, Inc.
261 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10016
smallstep@adcouncil.org