Privacy Policy - The Catbears

Last updated: November 2026

1. Who We Are

The Catbears is a creative education company. We make tools that support children's emotional and social development, for children and the adults who care for and work with them: parents, educators, therapists, and other professionals. Our products include social stories and printable resources, arts-and-crafts activities, online SEL games, the Catbears Show, guided SEL activities, and our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

2. What We Collect

Most of the Services work without an account. Some features, such as free tester resources, need a free account. We collect only the information necessary to provide a safe, meaningful experience.

A. Newsletter and contact data

If you subscribe to our newsletter or contact us, we collect your email address and any information you include in your message. This is provided to us voluntarily by adults only.

B. Technical information

Device type, browser, and basic diagnostic data, collected by our hosting provider as part of normal network operation.

C. Cookies and local storage

We use cookies and your browser's local storage for basic functional purposes, such as remembering your chosen language, keeping track of your progress in activities, and avoiding showing you the same prompts twice. This information stays on your device.
We also keep a random visitor id in your browser's local storage and send it to our own servers with your activity. With it we record how each visitor uses the site: the pages you visit, the PDFs you download, the SEL games and shows you start and finish (by name only), your poll answers, completed purchases and donations (product and amount), how many visits you make, how long you stay, the site that sent you, and your approximate location (city and country). We never store your IP address. This is stored on our own servers and is used only to improve our resources, never for advertising.
If you buy something or donate, your visitor activity is linked to the email you give at payment. If you download a tester resource or send tester feedback with your account, your visitor activity is linked to your account email. Otherwise it is not linked to your email or name.
We also use a third-party analytics service to understand how the site is used. If you give us your email when you buy or donate, it may be linked to your activity in that service too. It is never used for advertising.
We do not use advertising cookies, and we never sell your data.

D. Accounts

Accounts are for adults only (parents, teachers, therapists and other professionals). You must confirm you are 18 or older to create one.
When you create an account we keep your name, your email address, and either a securely hashed password or your Google sign-in (see section 2E).
During sign-up we ask a few short questions: who you are, your role, your interests, the ages of the children you work with, where you use Catbears, and where you heard about us. We use the answers to understand who we serve and to improve our resources.
If you download a resource with your account, we record which resource and when. If you join our tester program, we also keep the feedback you send about it.
New accounts are added to our newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time with the link in every email.

E. Google sign-in

If you choose to sign in with Google, Google shares only your name, email address and profile picture with us. We do not ask for access to your contacts, files, calendar or any other Google data.
We use this information only to create your account and sign you in. We never sell it, use it for advertising, or share it with third parties, except the service providers listed in section 4 who help us run the Services.
You can stop using Google sign-in at any time by deleting your account (see section 5) or by removing The Catbears from your Google Account permissions.
The Catbears' use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

F. Emails we send

Besides the newsletter, we send account emails (such as confirming your email address) and, if you download a tester resource, an invitation to give feedback about a week later and at most one reminder. Every non-essential email has an unsubscribe link.

G. Optional feedback

If you choose to send feedback through the Services, we may collect the emoji or rating you select and any text you type. Feedback is optional. Please do not include personal details. Feedback is stored with your random visitor id so we can understand and improve the experience. We do not sell this data.

3. How We Use the Information

We use the data to:

Create and run your account, sign you in, and give you the resources you choose
Send newsletters, account emails and tester feedback invitations, and respond to messages
Remember your preferences and activity progress between visits (browser storage)
Understand what each visitor uses and how the site is used, so we can make better resources (visitor id and activity, linked to your email only if you buy or donate)
Keep our platforms running safely and reliably (technical/server logs)

We never sell or share personal data with advertisers.

4. Who Can See Your Data

Only The Catbears team and a small number of trusted service providers, each bound by data-protection agreements: Cloudflare (website hosting and storage), Mailgun (email delivery), PayPal (payments), and our analytics provider. If you sign in with Google, Google handles that sign-in. We do not sell or share personal data with advertisers.

All data is processed in accordance with privacy laws, including GDPR and Israeli Protection of Privacy Regulations. Some providers operate on servers outside Israel; where this happens, it is done under GDPR-compliant data transfer mechanisms.

5. Data Retention & Deletion

Browser storage (local storage and cookies) is stored on your own device and can be cleared at any time via your browser settings. Clearing your browser storage gives you a new visitor id, which is not linked to your past activity.

We delete a visitor id and all of its activity 2 years after its last visit. If you bought something or donated, you can ask us to delete that activity by email. Otherwise it is not linked to your email, so we cannot find it for you, and clearing your browser storage is the way to start fresh.

You can delete your account at any time from your account page. Deleting it removes your account details, sign-up answers, downloads and tester feedback.

For any other data we hold (newsletter subscriptions, contact messages), you can request deletion at any time. Contact us at hi@catbears.com and we will remove all identifiable information within 30 days, unless we are legally required to keep it.

6. Children's Safety

Our products are designed for children ages 3 to 12. We do not require account registration or personal details from children. Children often use our games and shows on a parent's or classroom device, so the visitor activity described in section 2C may include what a child opened on that device. It holds only the names of pages, games and shows, never anything a child types inside a game or show. Email addresses come only through adult contact options, newsletter signup, purchases, donations, or optional feedback features, all of which are intended for adults (parents, teachers, or facilitators).

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal information, please contact us at hi@catbears.com and we will promptly remove it.

7. Contact

For questions, deletion requests, or privacy concerns:

📧 hi@catbears.com

🌍 https://catbears.com