Terms & Conditions

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using KinderMatch ("the Tool" or "the Service"), you ("the User") — typically an officer or authorised coordinator of an Australian local council or kindergarten service — agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Tool. These Terms apply to both the 30-day free trial ("Trial") and the KinderMatch Premium Licence ("Premium Licence").

2. Licence and Permitted Use

Subject to these Terms, KinderMatch grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited licence to access and use the Tool for the purpose of assisting with kindergarten enrolment and allocation for your council or service.

• Premium Licence: Annual licence tied to one named user email address and one nominated council. Licence period is 12 months from the date of purchase. The licence may be transferred to a new staff member at no charge upon written request to hello@kindermatch.com.au.
• Free Trial: A 30-day evaluation licence granted at KinderMatch's discretion. Trial access includes all features with a limit of 50 children per allocation run. Trial results must not be used for official council decisions.
• The Tool may not be redistributed, resold, sublicensed, modified, or used for any purpose outside kindergarten enrolment and allocation without express written permission.

3. Pricing and Payment

The Premium Licence is priced on an annual basis, inclusive of Australian GST. Pricing is provided on request — contact hello@kindermatch.com.au for a formal quote. Payment is processed securely via Stripe. A tax invoice is issued automatically upon successful payment, suitable for council finance and procurement teams. The licence period commences on the date of successful payment and expires 12 months thereafter. Renewal is not automatic — you will be notified prior to expiry. The licence is non-refundable except where required by Australian Consumer Law.

4. Decision-Support Tool — Not a Substitute for Professional Judgement

KinderMatch is a decision-support tool. All final enrolment and allocation decisions remain the sole responsibility of the council or service provider. The Tool's outputs — distance calculations, eligibility flags, Priority of Access classifications — are provided to assist human decision-making, not replace it. To the maximum extent permitted by law, KinderMatch and its operators:

• Accept no liability for any enrolment or allocation outcome arising from use of the Tool
• Accept no liability for errors in geocoding, distance calculations, or PoA classification
• Accept no liability for any complaint or claim by a family arising from an enrolment decision supported by this Tool
• Accept no liability for regulatory non-compliance arising from use of the Tool
• Make no warranty that the Tool's outputs are accurate, complete, or suitable for any particular purpose

5. Council Responsibilities

The council or service using the Tool is responsible for:

• Ensuring compliance with all Victorian Department of Education guidelines, including the Priority of Access framework
• Independently verifying a sample of distance calculations before making enrolment offers
• Maintaining accurate records of enrolment decisions in accordance with applicable legislation
• Ensuring that all staff using the Tool understand its purpose and limitations
• Communicating enrolment decisions to families in accordance with the council's own policies and legal obligations
• Ensuring the Tool is used only by authorised staff for legitimate enrolment purposes

6. Data Privacy and Security

KinderMatch is designed with privacy by default:

• All applicant data — reference numbers, home addresses, preference information — is processed exclusively within your browser session and is never transmitted to KinderMatch or any third party.
• Session data is not saved between browser sessions. Closing the browser tab removes all data immediately.
• Geocoding requests are made to the Google Maps Geocoding API (maps.googleapis.com). These requests contain address strings only — no child reference numbers or personal identifiers are ever included.
• The kindergarten database is loaded from KinderMatch's secure hosted database. This connection does not involve any child or applicant data.
• Councils remain responsible for the handling of personal data in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and their own privacy policies.

7. Trial Version Limitations

The 30-day free trial provides access to all KinderMatch features with the following limitation:

• A maximum of 50 children per allocation run — the first 50 rows of any uploaded file are processed
• Trial results are for evaluation purposes only and must not be used for actual enrolment decisions or official council processes
• KinderMatch reserves the right to decline, limit, or revoke trial access at its discretion

8. Accuracy of Distance Calculations

Distances are calculated using straight-line (haversine formula) measurement between geocoded coordinates. These are approximate and will differ from road travel distances. Geocoding accuracy depends on the quality and completeness of the addresses provided. KinderMatch strongly recommends validating a sample of geocoding outputs before relying on results for enrolment decisions.

9. Intellectual Property

KinderMatch, including all software, design, content, and the Victorian kindergarten database, is the intellectual property of KinderMatch and its operators. The Tool is licensed — not sold — to users. No rights in the Tool are transferred by payment of the licence fee other than the right to use the Tool in accordance with these Terms.

10. Termination

KinderMatch reserves the right to suspend or terminate access to the Tool at any time if these Terms are breached. Upon termination, your right to use the Tool ceases immediately. No refund is payable upon termination for breach. Users may discontinue use of the Tool at any time.

11. Changes to Terms

KinderMatch may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Tool after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. Users will be notified of material changes via the email address associated with their licence.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the use of the Tool shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria.

For questions about these Terms, contact us at hello@kindermatch.com.au or use our Contact page. We aim to respond within 1–2 business days.