Last updated: September 25, 2026
My Little Russia Cultural and Educational Center, Inc., doing business as UMKA Cultural & Educational Center (“UMKA,” “we,” or “us”), respects the privacy of the families, volunteers, donors, and visitors who connect with us. This policy explains how we collect, use, share, retain, and protect information submitted through our website, registration forms, and related services.
Laws and Jurisdictions This Policy Addresses
This policy is intended primarily to address privacy requirements that may apply to UMKA as a nonprofit organization operating in Pennsylvania and serving families and participants in the United States. It is informed by applicable Pennsylvania privacy, data-breach, consumer-protection, nonprofit, and charitable-solicitation requirements, as well as generally applicable federal laws governing electronic communications, fundraising, payment processing, and the protection of children’s information.
Because UMKA may collect information about children, this policy also addresses the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) and related Federal Trade Commission requirements to the extent they apply to UMKA’s website or online services. UMKA does not knowingly seek to collect personal information directly from children without parent or guardian involvement.
This policy may also apply to individuals located in other states when their information is collected through UMKA’s services. State privacy laws may provide additional rights depending on the individual’s residence, the nature and volume of information collected, and whether UMKA meets a law’s applicability thresholds. UMKA will comply with applicable education, child-safety, accessibility, nonprofit, and charitable-solicitation requirements, but this policy is not intended to create rights beyond those required by applicable law. UMKA does not represent that this policy addresses every law that may apply to a particular individual or activity.
Information We Collect
When you contact us, register a child, volunteer, subscribe to updates, or make a donation, you may provide information such as your name, email address, phone number, your child’s name and age or grade, program interests, and other information you choose to share. We ask parents or guardians to provide registration information for children.
Our website provider and other service providers may automatically collect limited technical information, such as your browser type, device information, pages visited, approximate location, referring website, and cookie information. We use this information to operate, secure, and improve our website and services.
How We Use Information
We use personal information to:
- Respond to questions and requests;
- Register participants and administer classes, programs, and events;
- Communicate with families, volunteers, donors, and participants;
- Coordinate volunteer activities;
- Process donations and other payments through our payment providers;
- Send newsletters or other updates when you have requested them;
- Maintain records and meet legal, accounting, and administrative requirements; and
- Understand website usage and improve our programs and services.
We do not sell or rent personal information.
Children’s Privacy, Parental Consent, and COPPA
UMKA collects information about children primarily through a parent or legal guardian who registers a child for a class, program, event, volunteer activity, or other service. Parents and guardians are responsible for providing accurate information and should not permit a child to submit personal information directly unless the parent or guardian is involved and has provided any consent required by law.
When COPPA applies, UMKA will seek verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from a child under 13, unless a limited legal exception applies. Depending on the circumstances, consent may be obtained through a registration form, signed authorization, email or other electronic confirmation, telephone confirmation, or another method permitted by applicable law. UMKA will provide parents or guardians with information about the categories of personal information collected, the purposes for which it is used, and the types of third parties with whom it may be shared.
UMKA will not condition a child’s participation in an activity on the child providing more personal information than is reasonably necessary for that activity. We do not knowingly use children’s personal information for behavioral advertising or sell or rent it. We may use service providers to process information on our behalf, but we expect them to use the information only to provide the requested services and to protect it appropriately.
If UMKA learns that it has collected personal information directly from a child under 13 without the required parental consent, UMKA will take reasonable steps to contact the parent or guardian, obtain consent where appropriate, limit the use of the information, or delete the information when it is no longer needed. Parents or guardians who believe that a child has provided information directly to UMKA may contact us using the information below.
Parent and Guardian Access Requests
A parent or legal guardian may request to:
- Confirm whether UMKA has collected personal information about their child;
- Review or receive a copy of the child’s personal information, subject to reasonable verification of the requester’s identity and parental relationship;
- Learn how the information is being used and with whom it has been shared;
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- Withdraw consent for future collection or use, where applicable; or
- Request deletion of the child’s personal information.
To protect children and families, UMKA may request information reasonably necessary to verify the requester’s identity and authority to act for the child. UMKA will not disclose a child’s information to an individual who cannot establish appropriate authority. We will respond to verified requests within the time required by applicable law or, if no specific deadline applies, within a reasonable period.
Deletion Requests
Parents or guardians may request deletion of personal information collected from or about their child by contacting UMKA. After verifying the request, UMKA will delete or de-identify the information within a reasonable period unless retention is necessary to complete a transaction, provide a requested service, protect safety, resolve a dispute, maintain required financial or legal records, comply with law, or preserve information in secure backups until it can be overwritten in the ordinary course.
Deleting information may affect a child’s ability to participate in a program if the information is necessary for registration, emergency contact, attendance, safety, or communication. UMKA will explain any material effect when responding to a deletion request.
Photos and Videos
UMKA may take photographs or videos during classes, events, performances, or other activities for documentation, educational purposes, community communications, or promotional materials. We will seek parent or guardian permission before publishing an identifiable photo or video of a child in promotional materials, including on UMKA’s website, social media pages, newsletters, brochures, or other public communications.
Photo and video permission is optional and is not required for a child to participate in UMKA programs unless a particular activity is specifically identified as being recorded. A parent or guardian may withdraw permission for future use by contacting UMKA. Withdrawal will not require UMKA to recall or remove materials that have already been printed, distributed, archived, or reposted by third parties, but UMKA will make reasonable efforts to stop future use and remove content from UMKA-controlled online locations when practicable.
UMKA will avoid identifying children by full name in public photo or video captions unless the parent or guardian has provided specific permission or disclosure is otherwise appropriate and permitted by law. Parents and guardians should contact UMKA promptly if they have questions or concerns about a particular image or recording.
Services and Links Outside Our Website
Our website uses WordPress.com and may link to services operated by other organizations, including Google Forms for registration and services such as Zeffy or PayPal for donations. These providers may collect and process information under their own privacy policies. We do not receive full payment card numbers from our payment providers.
Our website may also link to social media pages and other third-party websites. This policy applies only to information collected by UMKA and does not govern information you provide directly to those third parties.
Who Can Access Information
We share personal information only when reasonably necessary to operate our programs, provide requested services, or meet legal obligations. This may include sharing information with:
- Staff, volunteers, instructors, or other individuals who help administer UMKA programs;
- Service providers that host or support our website, forms, email, communications, registration, or donation processing; and
- Government authorities, courts, or other parties when disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, or property.
We expect service providers that handle information for UMKA to use it only for the services they provide to us.
Keeping and Protecting Information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including program administration, communication, recordkeeping, dispute resolution, and compliance with legal, tax, or accounting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and how it is used.
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. However, no website, electronic transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Your Choices and Rights
Depending on applicable law, you may contact us to:
- Ask whether we hold personal information about you or your child;
- Request access to, correction of, or deletion of information you have provided;
- Ask us to limit or stop certain uses of your information where appropriate;
- Withdraw consent for optional communications or photo use;
- Unsubscribe from newsletters or other optional updates; and
- Ask questions about how we collect or use information.
Some information may need to be retained to provide a requested service, complete a transaction, maintain required records, or comply with legal obligations. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings, although disabling cookies may affect some website features.
Contact Us
If you have a privacy question or request, including a parental consent, access, correction, deletion, or photo and video request, please contact:
My Little Russia Cultural and Educational Center, Inc.
UMKA Cultural & Educational Center
3005 Brodhead Rd, Suite 280
Bethlehem, PA 18020
mylittlerussiacenter@gmail.com
Mailing address: PO Box 98, Brodheadsville, PA 18322
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy when our programs, website, services, or legal obligations change. The date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last updated.
