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Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 1, 2026

1. Introduction

BookWork Inc. (“BookWork”) is an educational nonprofit that helps young children build a love of reading by encouraging teens to read aloud to their younger siblings. This Privacy Policy explains what information is collected through the BookWork website (www.bookwork.org) and app (app.bookwork.org), how that information is used, how recordings are reviewed to verify reading activity, and what choices teens, parents, and guardians have.

2. Who This Policy Covers

  • Teen participants, aged 14–18, who create accounts.
  • Parents and guardians who give consent through BookWork’s Parent/Guardian Consent Form.
  • Younger children (under 13) who can be heard in a teen’s recordings. They do not have accounts.
  • Website visitors, including families who join the waitlist.

3. Information We Collect

The website and app may collect:

  • From teens: first and last name, email address, age, the age range of the younger sibling they read to, and a password (stored in encrypted form).
  • From parents and guardians: first and last name, email address, phone number, state of residence, and a typed signature on the Consent Form. The Consent Form may also ask for the younger child’s first and last name.
  • Audio recordings of a teen reading aloud (which may include the voice of the younger child they read to), along with related details such as upload date, title, length, and review status.
  • Thank-you coin and gift information: coins received, gift card requests, and the gift card details delivered to the teen.
  • Account, device, and usage information such as IP address, browser type, login history, and similar identifiers needed to run and secure the website and services.
  • Feedback you choose to send us.

BookWork does not ask teens or parents for more information than is reasonably necessary to take part in the reading program.

4. How We Use Information

Information may be used to:

  • Create and manage accounts for teens and authorized BookWork staff, and request and record parent/guardian consent.
  • Let teens upload recordings of reading sessions they choose.
  • Review recordings to confirm that each reading session took place and to prevent duplicate or resubmitted recordings.
  • Give thank-you coins and deliver gift cards.
  • Send parents and guardians updates about their teen’s reading activity (such as weekly summaries), using activity counts, not recording content.
  • Communicate with teens, parents, or guardians about participation, consent, account issues, or support requests.
  • Study how the program is used, using only de-identified participation data, as described under “Research on Reading” below.
  • Keep the website and services, and the information they store, secure, and prevent fraud.
  • Keep records required by law.

BookWork does not sell personal information or show ads, and does not use voice recordings for advertising or targeted marketing. Recordings are not used for fundraising, research, or publication without separate written consent from a parent or guardian.

5. Research on Reading

BookWork may study how the program is used, to understand and share what helps young children learn to love reading. For this research, BookWork uses only de-identified participation data, such as the number and length of reading sessions, how often teens take part, age ranges, and state of residence. Names, email addresses, other contact details, and the audio of recordings are not used for research.

Research results may be published, for example in reports or whitepapers, only in aggregate form that does not identify any teen, child, or family. If BookWork works with a research partner, such as a university, it will share only de-identified data and will require the partner not to try to identify anyone.

A parent or guardian may ask at any time for their family’s data to be left out of research by emailing contact@bookwork.org.

6. Voice Recordings

Voice recordings are collected because they are central to the program: teens read aloud to a younger sibling, upload the recording, and authorized BookWork staff review it to confirm the reading session took place. Tools may help organize or flag recordings, but decisions are made by people. Review does not grade reading quality.

If a recording contains a child’s voice, BookWork treats it as personal information and handles it with care. Recordings are stored in secure cloud storage, and only authorized staff can access them. Teens may choose to end a recording with a short reflection. This is optional and is not used for any other purpose.

7. Children’s Privacy and Parental Consent

Children under 13 cannot create BookWork accounts. If we learn one has, we will delete it. A younger child’s voice (in recordings) and name (on the Consent Form) are collected only after a parent or guardian receives a direct notice by email and gives consent through the Consent Form. That consent covers both the teen and the younger child.

Teens aged 14–18 may register, but every teen account also requires parent/guardian consent and BookWork approval before it is activated.

8. Sharing of Information

BookWork does not sell personal information. Information may be shared only as reasonably necessary:

  • With employees, volunteers, and contractors who need access to run the reading program and who are bound by confidentiality and security obligations.
  • With service providers that host the website and services, store recordings, provide security, or support core operations: Amazon Web Services (hosting, recording storage, and email delivery), Google reCAPTCHA (spam protection on forms), and Amazon (gift cards).
  • With parents and guardians, who receive emails about their teen’s account and reading activity.
  • On public share pages, only if a teen chooses to share a reading milestone. Share pages show the teen’s first name only, include no gift card amounts, and are hidden from search engines.
  • With research partners, only as de-identified data, as described under “Research on Reading.”
  • When required by law, court order, or legal process, or when reasonably necessary to protect the safety, rights, or property of a child, family, BookWork, or others.

If children’s information is disclosed to third parties that support the website and services, BookWork will take reasonable steps to make sure those parties keep the information confidential and secure.

9. Security

BookWork uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including recordings and account data: encryption in transit, encrypted password storage, and role-based staff access. If a data breach affects your information, BookWork will notify affected teens and parents as required by law.

10. Retention and Deletion

Personal information is kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose it was collected for, such as running the reading program, verifying participation, keeping records, resolving disputes, or meeting legal obligations. When information is no longer needed, it will be deleted using reasonable measures that protect against unauthorized access or use.

When an account is closed, BookWork deletes the teen’s recordings and personal information within 90 days, except limited records it must keep by law (such as records of gift cards issued), which are kept only as long as required. De-identified research data that cannot be linked back to a family may be kept. Waitlist sign-ups are kept until BookWork begins approving accounts in that state, or until deletion is requested.

11. Your Rights and Choices

A parent or guardian may ask to:

  • Review the teen’s or younger child’s personal information.
  • Have that information corrected or deleted.
  • Refuse further collection or use of that information.
  • Leave their family’s data out of research.
  • Withdraw consent for future participation (the teen’s account will then be closed), subject to any legal recordkeeping needs.

Teens may also ask to see, correct, or delete their own information, or close their account. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state law. BookWork may ask you to verify your identity or your authority as a parent or guardian before acting on a request.

Requests may be sent to:

BookWork Inc.
contact@bookwork.org
(302) 800-1820
8 The Green #23009, Dover, DE 19901

12. Waitlist Sign-Ups

BookWork currently approves accounts in California and Massachusetts. If you sign up from another state, BookWork keeps your information only to contact you when it begins approving accounts there. You can ask for it to be deleted at any time.

13. Cookies and Third-Party Services

BookWork uses cookies only to keep you signed in, keep the service secure, and protect forms from spam. It does not use advertising or tracking cookies, and neither the website nor the app uses analytics. The public website loads its fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser connects to Google, which can see your IP address.

If BookWork’s service providers collect or process personal information on BookWork’s behalf, BookWork requires them to protect it appropriately.

14. Changes to This Policy

BookWork may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If this policy changes in a material way, BookWork will email account holders and their parents or guardians before the change takes effect, and will post the updated policy with a new effective date.

15. Contact

Questions or requests about this Privacy Policy may be sent to:

BookWork Inc.
contact@bookwork.org
(302) 800-1820
8 The Green #23009, Dover, DE 19901