Privacy Policy

The Head Start Coaching Companion is hosted on a server managed by the Office of Head Start (OHS). Access to this website requires login and password information through the Central Authentication Service (CAS) login system on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) and is subject to the OHS Privacy Policy.

Relationship Between the Head Start Coaching Companion and the University of Washington

Coaching Companion developers are employed by the University of Washington (UW), which has its own rules found in the University of Washington Online Privacy Statement and website terms and conditions of use. The Head Start Coaching Companion is therefore a product or digital solution that is covered by the University of Washington’s umbrella policy and would therefore be affected if there was a serious security breach.

Security Statement

The Head Start Coaching Companion is compliant with all Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws. All individual user data within the Coaching Companion is saved in an encrypted state in the site’s database, using a two-factor encryption scheme. We do not share data with any third party, nor do we allow access to individual user accounts without permission from the account owner.

All videos within the Coaching Companion must be expressly shared by the user who uploaded the video. This happens in a Coaching Partnership or a Community of Practice (COP) group where users allowed to access video must be connected to the sharing user (e.g., individual users select who has access and to what artifacts). Videos shared directly with users have the option to be copiable (shared further by selected individuals) or to be viewed only by specific individuals. The ability to copy on the site (but not download) must be authorized by the initial uploader of the video and can be revoked at any time.

Access to this website requires login and password information through the CAS login system. When users establish an account and receive a password, they are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their individual account and password, and for restricting access to their computer and mobile devices. No passwords are stored within the Coaching Companion web application database, and all user data is stored in an encrypted state.

Videos posted to the Coaching Companion site are shared through a secure temporary link to the file that can only be viewed within the Coaching Companion. Users are responsible for their behavior in the use of the website and for respecting other users’ data that might be viewed (for example, in a community of practice). This website and its content is only for personal, noncommercial use. In addition, the Coaching Companion is accessible through the ECLKC from the OHS. More information can be found in the OHS privacy policy. Aggregate data will be used to inform ongoing improvement and overall site utilization. Individual user identities are encrypted and not identifiable.

The Coaching Companion videos are hosted on a Vimeo site and is further protected through Vimeo’s security protocols. More information can be found in the Vimeo privacy policy.

For all uploads of resources (e.g., videos, documents, pictures, spreadsheets), participants are prompted before each upload to verify that they have the necessary consents and permissions to upload and share the file. As with other early learning video and photo sharing platforms, it is the responsibility of the user and their program to obtain active consent for the child or children being filmed and photographed. Liability is limited by the consent that families sign. If families do not consent to this process, those specific children are not to be included in the uploaded video.

Last Updated: May 22, 2024