Plain-language privacy policy
Privacy & Data Policy
This policy explains how Sage’s World collects, uses, protects, retains and lets families delete their data across the public website and learning app.
Last updated: July 15, 2026
Important: This policy describes the current Sage’s World public website and learning app. A school, service organization or institution should still complete its own privacy, security and procurement review before adopting the app.
Who we are and what this policy covers
Sage’s World is a free educational web app created by a parent for his son Sage and shared with other families doing the same work. It turns selected goals from a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) into gentle, encouraging practice.
This policy covers the public website at sageworld.ca and the learning app at app.sageworld.ca. It is written for families and educators who want to understand what information is involved and where it goes.
The short version
- We collect only what is needed to run and personalize the app for a child.
- We never sell or rent family data or use it for advertising. We do not share family data with data brokers. Sage’s World has no ads and no advertising or analytics trackers.
- Signed-in family data is tied to the family account so it can sync across devices. Guest-mode data stays only on the device and is never uploaded.
- AI tools are optional and adult-controlled. Google does not use submitted IEP or parent-help content to train its AI or have people review it, and Sage’s World does not retain the source documents or help conversation.
- Families can export their data or permanently delete their account and its data from inside the app.
The public website and contact form
The website you are reading is built in WordPress and Elementor. Sage’s World does not use advertising or analytics trackers, and it shows no ads. Choosing “Get started” or “Sign in” takes you to the separate Sage’s World learning application.
Contact form
The Contact page includes a form that sends your message privately to Phil. It collects the name, email address, role, topic and message you choose to provide. Sage’s World uses that information only to receive your message and reply. The information is processed by this WordPress website and the email services used to deliver and answer the message.
Do not include child or student records, health information, account passwords or other sensitive details. The form uses Google reCAPTCHA v3 to help detect automated abuse. Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
What we collect and what can stay on a device
For each child a family sets up, Sage’s World stores the information the adult enters and the practice results the app generates. A profile can include:
- A first name and chosen emoji.
- Learning information such as goals, game levels, progress and accuracy, stars, Sagey Bucks, chores, daily practice logs, settings, visual schedules, social stories and custom words.
- Photos an adult chooses to add from the device camera or optional online picture picker.
- Optional “About me” details the adult decides to enter, such as age, school, teacher, parents’ names or phone number. The app works with only a first name; these extra fields are not required.
On-device and guest use
The app can keep a child profile, settings, progress, schedules, stories and other personalized learning information in the browser so core activities can continue after the first visit, including when the device is offline. If a family uses guest mode without an account, that data stays only on that device and is never uploaded.
What that means in practice
- Someone with access to the same browser profile and device may be able to open the app and see its locally stored information.
- Clearing browser storage can remove local information that has not been synced or backed up.
- Parents should use device controls appropriate to the child and setting.
Family accounts, cloud sync and how data is used
When an adult creates a family account, Sage’s World collects an email address and password. Google Firebase Authentication handles sign-in and stores the password in hashed form; Sage’s World never sees it. A family can also sign in with Google, which shares the email address and a basic account identifier. Google Cloud Firestore stores family app data.
| Information | Why it is used | When it is sent |
|---|---|---|
| Family email and sign-in details | Create and authenticate the family account | When a family registers or signs in |
| Child profile and app state | Sync goals, settings, progress and personalized content across signed-in devices | When the signed-in app has a connection and saves changes |
| Custom photos | Show familiar people, objects and places in the child’s activities | When a signed-in family saves and syncs those photos |
Family data is organized under that family’s authenticated account. Access controls are designed so a signed-in user can access only the data stored under their own family identifier.
How we use information
- Run the app and save or sync progress, settings, photos and stories.
- Personalize practice to the child’s goals, levels and favourite things.
- Keep accounts secure and prevent abuse.
- Send a one-time welcome email when an account is created.
We do not use family data for advertising, sell or rent it, or share it with data brokers.
Optional AI features
AI is not required to use the core learning activities. Sage’s World currently offers two optional adult tools:
- Read the IEP with AI: an adult can select photos or a PDF of IEP pages. The selected pages are sent to Google Gemini to identify possible learning goals and pre-fill a draft setup for review.
- Parent help chat: an adult can ask about the app or a learner’s progress. Each request sends the question, recent chat context, the learner’s first name and a summarized view of practice results to Google Gemini to prepare an answer.
Both tools send requests through a Sage’s World service hosted by Netlify to Google Gemini. Google does not use this content to train its AI or have people review it. Sage’s World does not save the original IEP pages or retain the parent-help conversation. Setup suggestions an adult approves become part of the learner’s saved profile and may sync across signed-in devices.
These tools require an internet connection. Google, Netlify and other hosting providers may process data in the United States or other countries and may keep standard technical logs, such as IP addresses and timestamps, for security, reliability and abuse prevention.
Before using the IEP reader
- Cover or remove full names, student numbers, addresses and anything else the setup does not need. A first name is enough.
- Select only the pages needed for the learning goals you want to set up.
- Review every suggested goal and setting. AI output can be wrong and does not replace the learner’s school or support team.
Nothing from the draft is applied until an adult approves it.
Services that process data for Sage’s World
Sage’s World uses a small number of service providers to run the public website and learning app. They process information to provide their services:
- Google Firebase (Authentication and Cloud Firestore) handles sign-in and stores account and app data.
- Google Gemini AI processes the optional IEP reader and parent help chat requests described above.
- Google reCAPTCHA, including Firebase App Check in the learning app, helps protect accounts and services from bots and abuse and may collect device and usage signals.
- Netlify hosts the learning app and the small server functions used for IEP reading, help chat and the welcome-email workflow.
- Resend sends the one-time welcome email and receives the email address used to create the account.
- Wikimedia Commons provides some optional picture choices, which load from Wikimedia’s servers when displayed.
Read-aloud and browser speech
On supported browsers, the optional read-aloud activity can listen for a spoken attempt. Speech recognition is provided by the browser or its speech service, not by the Sage’s World server. Depending on the browser, audio may be sent to that browser provider for recognition.
The activity is designed to confirm participation rather than judge pronunciation, and it is hidden when the browser does not support the required speech feature.
Technical logs and processing locations
Hosting and cloud providers may keep standard technical logs, such as IP addresses and timestamps, for security, reliability and abuse prevention. These providers may store or process information on servers in the United States or other countries.
Retention, deletion, export and your rights
Sage’s World keeps a family account and its data for as long as the account exists. Families remain in control:
- Delete everything: in the app, open Parent Corner → Family → Delete account. Delete account permanently removes the sign-in, all children’s data in the cloud and the app’s data on that device, and it cannot be undone.
- Guest mode: without an account, app data stays only on the device and is never uploaded.
- Access and export: save a full copy at any time through Settings → Backup & move devices.
- Correct: edit names, settings, schedules, stories and photos directly in the app.
- Withdraw: stop using the app or switch to guest mode at any time.
- Request help: use the Contact page for account-deletion or privacy assistance.
Depending on where a family lives, including the EU, UK or California, it may have additional rights to access, correct, delete or restrict the use of personal information. Use the Contact page to exercise those rights.
Other family choices
- Use core activities without the optional AI tools.
- Use generic images instead of uploading personal photos.
- Remove or change goals, photos and other personalized content in Parent Corner.
- Use a parent PIN and appropriate device access controls.
- Share reports with educators only when the family chooses.
Schools and service organizations should not ask a family to share account credentials without an approved local process. A copied report may be a simpler collaboration option.
Children’s privacy, security and policy changes
Children’s privacy
Sage’s World is designed for children to use under the direction of a parent or guardian. A grown-up creates the account, controls settings, can add an optional parent PIN and decides what information—if any—to enter about a child.
We minimize the information we collect, never require more than a first name, show no advertising, never use children’s data to target ads and do not knowingly build advertising profiles of children. We aim to handle children’s data in line with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including their provisions for children.
If you believe a child provided personal information without a parent’s involvement, use the Contact page and we will act promptly.
How we protect information
The website and app are served over encrypted HTTPS. Cloud security rules are designed to limit a signed-in family to its own account data, and an optional parent PIN can help keep Parent Corner for grown-ups. No storage or transmission method is ever 100% secure, but we work to protect family information and keep what we collect to a minimum.
Changes to this policy
If the way Sage’s World handles information changes, we will update this page and the “Last updated” date. For significant changes, we will try to make the update clear within the app.
Questions, requests or concerns
Use the Contact page for privacy questions, rights requests or deletion help. Do not include child records or other sensitive information in the first message. For a school or institutional deployment, request a technical and privacy review before entering student information.