Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using KodomoHub, operated by Kodomo Tech Inc., a British Columbia corporation ("KodomoHub," "we," "us," or "our") (collectively, "the Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 19 years of age (the age of majority in British Columbia) to create an account on the Platform. By registering, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement.

3. Account Types and Responsibilities

• Parent Accounts: Every account (except Licensing Officers) inherently has parent-level access. You are responsible for providing accurate information. One account per person. You must be the parent or legal guardian of any child whose information you submit.
• Provider Accounts (Director): Registering as a provider automatically grants parent-level privileges alongside your professional role. You must operate a legitimate childcare facility in British Columbia. You are responsible for the accuracy of your facility listing, including hours, capacity, pricing, and uploaded images.
• Staff Accounts: Staff members are invited by a Director or Manager. Access to facility data is determined by the security role assigned to them. Staff cannot self-register for provider access.
• Administrator and Auditor Accounts: Assigned by the Platform Administrator only. These accounts are subject to comprehensive audit logging of all actions and data access. Internal KodomoHub platform accounts are prevented from performing parent actions — KodomoHub staff must maintain separate personal accounts for their own childcare needs.
• Context Modes: Users with multiple roles switch between Personal mode (parent actions) and Professional mode (facility management) via the account menu. Mode switches are logged for PIPA audit traceability.

4. Subscription Tiers

KodomoHub offers three subscription tiers for providers. Tier names and feature limits are configurable by the platform administrator and may change. The current tier structure is displayed on the Pricing page.

• Kodomo Free Tier: Owner-only account, date-ordered single-tier waitlist, manual tour scheduling (provider-managed externally), and up to 5 gallery images. Enrollment is handled outside the platform via email.
• Kodomo Starter Tier: Unlocks staff accounts, multi-tier priority waitlist, automated waitlist clearing, self-serve instant tour booking with optional no-show deposit, the Enrollment Hub (secure document exchange, registration fees, enrollment deposits), bulk messaging to waitlist, and analytics. Up to 10 gallery images per site.
• Kodomo Pro Tier: Everything in Kodomo Starter, plus multi-site organization management, cross-site waitlist management, cross-site staff accounts, and organization-level reporting. Starts with 2 included sites; additional sites billed at a per-site monthly rate. Up to 20 gallery images per site.
• Promotion Credits: Kodomo Starter and Kodomo Pro subscriptions include a monthly promotion credit usable only toward featured listing promotions. Credits are granted at the start of each monthly billing cycle and expire at the end of that cycle — unused credit does not roll over. For annual subscriptions, monthly credit cycles are anchored to the subscription start date. Referral credits, where issued, expire 12 months from their issue date. Credits have no cash value, are non-refundable, and cannot be applied to subscription fees.
• Downgrade Policy: Downgrades take effect at the end of the current billing period — no partial refunds are issued for unused time on either monthly or annual plans. When downgrading to Kodomo Free with multiple active sites, providers select a primary site during the downgrade process. Excess sites become read-only (Graceful Deactivation); existing waitlist entries and records are preserved. No data is deleted during a downgrade.
• Pricing Changes: We reserve the right to modify pricing with 30 days' written notice. Existing subscriptions will be honored until their current billing period ends.
• Free Trial: All new verified provider accounts receive a 30-day free trial with full access to all features. No credit card is required during the trial period.

5. Provider Verification

• Providers cannot list their facility on the marketplace until verification is complete. Unverified providers can configure their dashboard settings but remain unlisted.
• Verification confirms your facility's childcare licence and business details. Where your facility is found in the BC Child Care Map, this is completed automatically via phone verification (OTP). Where automated verification is not possible, our team conducts a manual review, which may include cross-referencing your details against BC government databases including the BC Child Care Map, OrgBook BC, the BC ECE Registry, and BC Health Authorities. By submitting a registration, you consent to this review.
• Providers whose facility cannot be automatically matched are placed in a manual review queue. You will receive an access code by email upon approval. Dashboard access is granted only after verification is complete.
• All new provider accounts receive a 30-day free trial with full access to all features upon successful verification. No credit card is required during the trial period.
• Important: Verification confirms facility licensing status only. It does not constitute an endorsement of the quality of care provided.

6. Waitlist and Enrollment

• All enrollment begins through the waitlist. Even if spots are available, parents must apply to the waitlist first.
• Application Review: Providers review applications before they are added to the active waitlist. Accepted applications are placed according to the provider's configured priority system. Rejected applications require a documented legal reason retained for 1 year (PIPA Section 31).
• Waitlist Fees: Providers not enrolled in the BC CCFRI program may charge a waitlist application fee. CCFRI-enrolled providers are programmatically prohibited from charging waitlist fees. Parents are notified of any applicable fees before submitting their application.
• Providers who send offers to candidates who are not the highest-priority applicant must document a bypass reason, which is recorded in an immutable audit log.
• Offers include a target start date. Parents have a configurable acceptance window (default 48 hours) to respond.
• Registration Fees: Registration fees are collected only after document review and approval — never before. If a provider rejects an application after approval, any collected fees must be refunded.
• "Action Required" Status: If a provider cannot proceed due to incomplete documentation, the application enters a hold period during which the parent may resolve the issue before a final rejection is issued.

7. Payments & Deposits

• Merchant of Record: The provider is the Merchant of Record for all transactions facilitated through KodomoHub, including waitlist fees, registration fees, and enrollment deposits. Kodomo Tech Inc. acts solely as a payment facilitator through Stripe Connect. We do not hold, process, or control funds on behalf of either party.
• Payment Methods: Fees may be collected via Stripe or manual payment (provider-configured). A platform fee is deducted automatically from Stripe transactions via Stripe's application fee mechanism.
• Enrollment Deposits: Enrollment deposit amounts and refund or application policies are set entirely at the provider's discretion. Funds are transferred directly to the provider's Stripe Connect account upon collection. KodomoHub does not regulate, mediate, or adjudicate how providers apply or refund enrollment deposits. Parents should review the provider's deposit policy before confirming enrollment.
• Chargebacks & Disputes: All chargebacks initiated by a parent's bank are routed to the provider's Stripe Connect account. KodomoHub's platform fee is not reversed in the event of a chargeback. Disputes over deposit application or refunds are between the provider and parent — KodomoHub does not adjudicate financial disputes.
• Refunds: KodomoHub cannot initiate refunds on the provider's behalf. If a refund is warranted (e.g., child never started care), the provider processes it through their Stripe Connect account or arranges it directly with the parent.
• Payment Confirmations: Payment confirmation records generated by KodomoHub are for informational purposes only and are not tax receipts. As the Merchant of Record, the provider is responsible for issuing tax receipts to families.
• Platform Fee: KodomoHub deducts a platform fee from each Stripe transaction. The fee is the same regardless of subscription tier, is configured by the platform administrator, and is disclosed before payment. Current rates are displayed on the Pricing page.

8. Messaging

• Messages are text-only with a 2,000 character limit per message. File attachments are not supported.
• Do not share sensitive government identification numbers (SIN, Health Care Card), detailed medical records, or third-party personal information through messages.
• Messages are retained for 1 year and automatically archived after enrollment.
• Privacy consent is required before your first message in any conversation.

9. Tour Registration

• Tour bookings are subject to capacity limits enforced automatically by the system. Once a time slot is full, it cannot be booked.
• Both parents and providers may cancel a booking at any time before the scheduled date.
• During booking, you may optionally consent to receive a one-time follow-up email to provide feedback on your tour experience. This consent is not pre-checked and is entirely optional.
• Providers may track no-shows for their own operational records.
• Tour Deposit (Security Hold): Providers may enable a temporary security hold on your payment card to confirm tour attendance. The hold is placed 24 hours before your scheduled tour and released immediately if you attend or cancel in advance. If you do not attend and the provider marks the tour as a no-show, the deposit will be captured. In the event of capture, a portion of the deposit is retained by the Platform as a service fee, with the remainder paid to the provider. This hold is not a waitlist or registration fee. Note: cancellations within the provider-configured cutoff window may not be permitted through the platform — contact the provider directly if you need to cancel close to the tour date.
• CCFRI Providers: Providers receiving provincial funding under CCFRI may only charge a tour deposit if the tour is an optional service. If a tour is a mandatory requirement for enrollment, the deposit may constitute a prohibited fee.

10. Enrollment Hub

• Documents are exchanged only after an offer has been accepted, through the Enrollment Hub. No documents are required during the initial waitlist application.
• Registration Forms: When a provider enables "KodomoHub Standard Forms," parents may complete a digital registration form in their browser. The form data is processed entirely client-side using browser-based PDF generation. No raw registration data is stored on KodomoHub's servers — only the generated PDF is transmitted to the Enrollment Hub.
• Data Handoff: By downloading a registration PDF or any parent-uploaded document, the provider accepts legal custody of that record as required by BC Child Care Licensing Regulation (CCLR) Section 57. KodomoHub is a document delivery service, not a permanent record-keeping system. Providers are solely responsible for maintaining child records in accordance with CCLR Section 57.
• Document Retention: Enrollment Hub files are retained for 1 year after the related enrollment application is archived for providers on paid plans (Starter and Pro), and 30 days for providers on the Free plan. Providers receive advance email reminders to download files before deletion. After the retention period, files are permanently deleted from KodomoHub's servers.
• Parents retain the right to request deletion of their uploaded documents after the applicable retention period has expired.

11. Content and Conduct

• Discriminatory practices in waitlist management are prohibited. Bypass reasons must be documented and are auditable.
• Excessive or unreasonable document requests may be reported through the Platform's reporting system.
• Custom Questions (Shared Responsibility): Providers are the Data Controllers for custom waitlist questions they create. Providers must document a "Reason for Collection" for each custom question. Questions must not solicit information related to protected characteristics under the BC Human Rights Code (e.g., race, disability, religion) unless specifically required for an authorized priority group.
• Prohibited Content: KodomoHub reserves the right to immediately suspend or terminate any account that uses custom fields to solicit information regarding protected characteristics as defined by the BC Human Rights Code, unless such information is strictly required for a verified Government-mandated priority group.
• Providers are prohibited from requesting Social Insurance Numbers (SIN), BC Health Care Card numbers, or detailed medical histories through custom questions.
• Indemnification: Provider agrees to indemnify and hold Kodomo Tech Inc. harmless from any claims, damages, or legal fees arising from the Provider's use of custom questions, priority tiering decisions, or waitlist management practices.
• Facility images must not include identifiable photographs of children without parental consent. All images must be appropriate and relevant to the facility listing.
• The Platform reserves the right to remove any content that violates these Terms or applicable law.

12. Reporting System

• Good-faith reports about provider content, practices, or conduct are protected. We encourage users to report concerns.
• False or malicious reports may result in account suspension or termination.
• Functional Anonymity: Providers cannot see the identity of the person who submitted a report about them.
• Reporter identity may be disclosed only if required by law, by court order, or to protect the immediate safety of a child.

13. Licensing Officer Access

The Licensing Officer role provides read-only access to facility compliance data for government inspection and verification purposes only. Access is limited to 24-hour sessions and all data accessed is logged.

Disclaimer: KodomoHub is not responsible for any findings, citations, or enforcement actions issued by a Licensing Officer based on data provided through the Platform. KodomoHub serves as a data courier — not the author of the provider's operational records.

14. Intellectual Property

• All Platform content, design, and code are owned by Kodomo Tech Inc. and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.
• Provider-submitted content (facility descriptions, images) is licensed to Kodomo Tech Inc. for display and promotional purposes on the Platform.

15. Limitation of Liability

• KodomoHub is a marketplace and management tool. We are not a childcare provider.
• We do not guarantee waitlist placement, childcare availability, or the quality of care at any facility listed on the Platform.
• Provider verification confirms business registration status only — it does not constitute an endorsement of care quality or regulatory compliance.
• Users acknowledge that they are responsible for their own due diligence when selecting a childcare provider.

16. Account Termination

• You may delete your account at any time through your dashboard settings. Deletion follows the Two-Stage Tombstone process described in our Privacy Policy.
• The Platform may suspend or terminate accounts for violations of these Terms, including but not limited to: discriminatory practices, false reports, misuse of data, or failure to comply with verification requirements.
• Director Succession: A Director account cannot be deleted until facility ownership has been transferred to another authorized user. Exception: if the facility has been permanently closed and the Director has no remaining active sites to manage, account deletion is permitted without a transfer requirement.
• The final active Administrator account cannot be deleted to ensure platform operational continuity.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.

18. Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or the use of the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of British Columbia, Canada.

19. Contact Information

Kodomo Tech Inc.
British Columbia, Canada

See also: Privacy Policy