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Privacy

OHS Privacy Policy Notice for Web-based Services

When you visit the website and social media pages of the Office of Head Start (OHS), we collect no information about you, other than information automatically collected and stored, unless you choose to provide that information to us.

Information Automatically Collected and Stored from the ECLKC

When you browse through any website, certain personal information about you may be collected. We automatically collect and temporarily store the following information about your visit:

  • Domain name used to access the Internet (e.g., gmail.com if you are using a Google account, or stanford.edu if you are connecting from Stanford University's domain)
  • Date and time of the visit
  • Pages visited
  • Type of browser used (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari)
  • The website address from whence you came

We use this information for statistical purposes and to help us make our site more useful to visitors. Unless it is specifically stated otherwise, no additional information will be collected about you. OHS will record your email address in the event that you send a message by email or if you register for the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) or other OHS service. Your email address will be temporarily stored and will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided it. Your email address will not be added to any mailing lists unless you have personally subscribed to them.

Personally Provided Information

You do not have to give us personal information to visit our websites. If you choose to provide us with additional information about yourself through an email message, form, survey, etc., we will only maintain the information as long as needed to respond to your question or to fulfill the stated purpose of the communication. Communications, which are considered official correspondence, are maintained for historical purposes, as required by law. These communications are archived on a monthly basis, but are also protected by the Privacy Act, which restricts our use of them yet permits certain disclosures.

Persistent Cookies

Consistent with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' policy on the usage of persistent cookies, they are not used on this site. "Persistent Web cookies" are defined as Web cookies that can track the activities of users over time and across different websites.

Disclosure

OHS does not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about our visitors, unless required for law enforcement by statute.

Intrusion Detection

This site is maintained by the U.S. Government. It is protected by various provisions of Title 18, U.S. Code. Violations of Title 18 are subject to criminal prosecution in federal court. For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, we employ software programs to monitor traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. In the event of authorized law enforcement investigations, and pursuant to any required legal process, information from these sources may be used to help identify an individual.

Systems of Records

Information originally collected in traditional paper systems can be submitted electronically (e.g., electronic commerce transactions and information updates about eligibility benefits). Electronically submitted information is maintained and destroyed pursuant to the Federal Records Act, and in some cases may be subject to the Privacy Act. If information that you submit is to be used in a Privacy Act system of records, there will be a Privacy Act Notice provided.

Official OHS Social Media Pages and Third-party Websites

We maintain accounts on third-party websites as tools to better interact with the public. These include social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, X, and MangoApps. The security and privacy policies of third-party websites apply to your activity on those sites. Users of third-party websites often share information with the general public, user community, and/or the third party operating the website.

You should review the privacy policies of all websites before using them and ensure that you understand how your information may be used. You should also adjust the privacy settings on your account on any third-party website to match your preferences.

OHS Accounts

Third-party website privacy policies used by OHS include:

Information Collected and Used from Third-party Websites

If you have an account with a third-party website and choose to follow, like, friend, or comment on a third-party website managed by OHS, certain personal information associated with your account may be made available to us. This is based on the privacy policies of the third-party website and your privacy settings within that website. We do not share personally identifiable information made available through these websites.

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