Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information Bloom Scholars collects when you use bloomscholars.org, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to this website, to accounts created on it, and to the tutoring and coaching sessions you book through it.

We have tried to write this in plain language. If anything here is unclear, contact us using the details at the bottom of this page and we will explain it.

When you contact us

Our contact form asks for your name, email address, phone number, the service you are interested in, a subject, and your message. We use this only to respond to your enquiry and to follow up about the programs you asked about.

When you create an account

To book sessions you create an account. We store your first and last name, email address, phone number, and a securely hashed version of your password. You may optionally add a profile photo and set preferences such as which notifications you want to receive.

When you book and attend sessions

We keep a record of the sessions you book, including the program selected, the scheduled date and time, session status, and any notes or details you provide about your child so that we can prepare appropriately and report on progress.

When you subscribe or leave a review

If you subscribe to our newsletter we store your email address and which part of the site you subscribed from. If you submit a review, we store the review content and rating along with your name so it can be attributed if published.

Card payments are processed by Stripe. Your full card number, expiry date, and security code are entered directly into Stripe’s secure payment fields and are never sent to or stored on our servers.

What we do store is a Stripe customer reference linked to your account, plus a record of each payment — the amount, currency, status, and date — so that we can show you your billing history and reconcile your bookings. Stripe processes this information under its own privacy policy.

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and move through the site — for example which pages and articles are read most. Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser and collects information such as pages viewed, approximate location derived from your IP address, referring site, and device and browser type. We use this in aggregate to improve the site, not to identify you personally.

You can block or delete these cookies through your browser settings, or use Google’s browser add-on to opt out of Google Analytics. Blocking them does not affect your ability to browse the site, book a session, or make a payment.

Our servers also keep standard technical logs of requests, which help us diagnose errors and protect the site against abuse.

We use the information described above to:

• Respond to your enquiries and arrange your free initial consultation.
• Create and secure your account, verify your email address, and let you reset your password.
• Schedule, deliver, and keep records of the sessions you book.
• Take payment for sessions and provide receipts and billing history.
• Send you progress reports and updates about your child’s sessions.
• Send newsletter emails, if you have subscribed.
• Publish reviews and testimonials, where you have submitted them and we have approved them for display.
• Understand how the site is used so we can improve it.
• Protect the site and our users against fraud, abuse, and technical problems.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers.

We use a small number of established providers to run parts of the service. Each receives only the information it needs to perform its function, and each handles that information under its own privacy policy.

• Stripe — processes card payments and stores payment method details.
• Calendly — powers session scheduling; receives the name, email, and appointment details needed to book a time.
• Mailchimp — sends and manages our newsletter; receives the email address of subscribers.
• Cloudinary — hosts and delivers images used across the site, including any profile or article images uploaded.
• Google Analytics — provides aggregate website analytics.
• An email delivery provider — sends transactional email such as email verification, password resets, and booking confirmations.

We may also disclose information where we are required to do so by law, or where it is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of Bloom Scholars, our families, or others.

The site is served over HTTPS, so information you submit is encrypted in transit. Passwords are stored only as salted hashes, which means we cannot read your password and neither can anyone who obtained our database.

When you sign in, your session credentials are held in your browser’s per-tab session storage rather than in a long-lived cookie. This means your session is scoped to that browser tab and is discarded when you close it. Email verification and password reset links are single-purpose and expire after a limited time.

No system can be guaranteed perfectly secure. If you believe your account has been accessed without your permission, contact us straight away using the details below.

Our programs are for students from Kindergarten through college level, but this website is intended to be used by parents and guardians. Accounts should be created by an adult, who books and manages sessions on behalf of their child.

Information about a child reaches us only because a parent or guardian chooses to give it to us — for example when describing a child’s year group, learning needs, or goals so that we can prepare suitable sessions. We use that information to deliver and report on the child’s sessions and for no other purpose.

If you are a parent or guardian and would like to see, correct, or delete information we hold about your child, contact us and we will help.

Reviews submitted through the site are not published automatically. Each one is reviewed by our team, and only those we approve for display appear publicly. A published review may show the reviewer’s name, the rating, the review text, and a general description such as a year group.

If you have submitted a review and would like it removed or your name withheld, contact us and we will take it down.

• Newsletter — unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email, or ask us to remove you.
• Account details — sign in to review and update your name, contact details, photo, and notification preferences.
• Access and correction — ask us for a copy of the information we hold about you, or ask us to correct anything inaccurate.
• Deletion — ask us to delete your account and associated information. Some records connected to completed payments may need to be retained where we are legally required to keep them.
• Analytics cookies — block or delete them in your browser settings at any time.

To make any of these requests, email hello@bloomscholars.org. We typically respond to all inquiries within 24 business hours.

If we change how we handle your information, we will update this page and revise the "last updated" date at the top. Where a change is significant, we will make reasonable efforts to tell families directly.

For any question about this policy or about the information we hold, email hello@bloomscholars.org or call (915) 260-0753. Bloom Scholars serves families in Austin, Texas and Utah County.