Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you create an account or use Trailhead Tutoring, we collect the following information:

• Account information: Name, email address, phone number, and password (stored securely as a hash)
• Parent profiles: City, street address (optional), and student information (name and grade level)
• Tutor profiles: School, grade, GPA, bio, subjects, availability, and profile photo
• Payment information: Payments are made directly between parents and tutors via PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle — we do not process or store payment card data
• Usage data: Booking history, session details, and reviews

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account
• Match students with appropriate tutors
• Process bookings and payments
• Send booking confirmations, reminders, and updates via email
• Respond to support requests
• Improve our platform and services

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate Trailhead Tutoring:

• PayPal / Venmo / Zelle — Payments are made directly by parents to tutors using these third-party services. We do not process payments ourselves.
• MongoDB Atlas — Database hosting. Your data is stored in encrypted, access-controlled databases.
• Resend — Transactional email delivery for booking confirmations and notifications.

We do not sell your personal information to any third parties.

4. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information. Passwords are hashed using bcrypt, sessions are managed with encrypted tokens, and all data is transmitted over HTTPS. However, no method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or financial record-keeping purposes (e.g., payment transaction records).

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and personal data
• Opt out of non-essential communications

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@trailheadtutoring.com.

7. Children's Privacy

Student accounts are managed by parents. We collect only the student information necessary to facilitate tutoring sessions (name and grade level). We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without parental consent.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of significant changes via email. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.