Columbia Association, Inc. respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal data when you interact with our website, mobile applications, programs, and services.

Last updated: March 4, 2026

Columbia Association, Inc. (“Company“, “we“, “our“, or “us“) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this policy. This policy describes how we collect, process, retain, and disclose personal data about you when providing services to you through our website, mobile applications, programs, and services that link to this policy (our “Services“) and our practices for using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

Services include our:

  • Membership & Guest Passes;
  • Classes & Lessons;
  • Sports Leagues;
  • Community Events;
  • Youth & Teen Programs;
  • Points Program; and
  • Volunteer Programs.

This Privacy Policy applies only to personal data we collect in connection with our Services. It does not apply to information collected by any third party outside the Company’s control, even if that third party later shares such information with us.

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we treat it. By interacting with our Services (including our website) or providing us with your information, you agree to the collection, use, and sharing of your information as described in this privacy policy. This policy may change from time to time (see Changes to Our Privacy Policy). Your continued use of our Services after we make changes as described here is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.

Children’s and Minors’ Data

We treat anyone under 18 as a “minor” for purposes of this policy. Our Services include programs that are designed for and intended to be used by minors, including:

  • Before & After School Care;
  • Camps;
  • KidSpace;
  • Youth & Teen Center; and
  • Certain Classes & Lessons.

For these Services, any collection and use of personal data of a minor is limited to what is reasonably necessary to provide, support, and operate the underlying programs and features. We do not sell the personal data of minors, and we do not use minors’ personal data for targeted advertising.

We may share limited enrollment and participation information about school-aged minors with the Howard County Public School System and the Maryland State Department of Education’s Office of Child Care to administer certain program benefits. These entities only use the information for their program‑related purposes and not for their own marketing.

If we knowingly collect personal data online from a minor, we will obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian when required by law, and we will limit our collection and use of that data to what is reasonably necessary to provide the requested programs and services. A parent or legal guardian may request access to, correction of, or deletion of a child’s personal data by contacting us at Contact Information.

If we learn that we unknowingly collected personal data from a minor under 13 without parental consent, or otherwise inconsistent with this policy, we will promptly delete or remediate that information. Similarly, if we learn that we unknowingly used the personal data of a minor to engage in engage in targeted advertising of a minor, we will promptly stop that processing and take commercially reasonable steps to prevent further use of the data for targeted advertising.

The Personal Data That We Collect or Process

The types and categories of personal data we collect or process include:

  • Personal Information. Name, email address, age, gender, phone number, home address, and other contact details you provide (including parent/guardian contact details for minors).
  • Program Registration & Participation. Enrollment records, class or activity selections, schedules, attendance, participation history, incident or safety reports, and membership identifiers.
  • School Program Information. For school-age Services, student identifiers necessary to coordinate with Howard County Public School System and the Maryland State Department of Education’s Office of Child Care to administer program benefits and meet reporting or licensing requirements (e.g., name, age, participation confirmations).
  • Cultural Information. Race, ethnicity, and related cultural affiliation information you may choose to provide for diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural programming initiatives.
  • Health & Safety Information. Information necessary for program safety and accommodations, such as allergies, disabilities, medications, and other medical considerations provided by you, your medical provider, or your parent/guardian (for minors).
  • Transaction Information. Payment status, invoices, financial assistance information, and limited payment details processed through payment providers.
  • Online Behavioral Information. Information about how you interact with our website and online services, including pages viewed, links clicked, browsing activity, and interactions with ads or marketing communications.
  • Technical Information. Information about your internet connection and usage details about your interactions with our Services, such as device type, operating system, browser type and settings, language, IP address, cookie or similar identifiers, app version, and access logs.
  • Geolocation Information. General location inferred from IP address (e.g., city, state/province, country) and, if you enable permissions, precise geolocation to support features like facility locators or localized experiences.
  • User-Generated Content. Photos or recordings from programs or events you attend, or content you submit to us, such as program reviews, testimonials, or photos.
  • Publicly Available Information. Information from publicly accessible sources and, in accordance with your settings, social media content you make public.
  • Third-Party Information. Information we receive about you from payment processors, schools, community partners, and analytics or IT service providers.
  • Aggregated Information. Inferences drawn from the above information, excluding any targeted advertising to minors.

How We Collect Your Personal and Other Data

You Provide Information to Us

We collect personal and other data directly from you (or, for minors, from a parent or legal guardian) when you interact with our Services. For example, we collect information when you register for programs or memberships, complete waivers or consent forms, create or manage an account, make payments, subscribe to updates, respond to surveys, or otherwise communicate with us. We also collect information when you visit or engage with us in person at our facilities, programs, classes, events, or community activities. We may also collect information you choose to provide when you submit reviews, testimonials, or other content, including photos or other materials you share with us about your experience.

Automatically Through Our Services

As you navigate through and interact with our Services, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect information that may include personal data. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, operating system, and browser type, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies.

When you interact with our Services, there are third parties that may use automatic collection technologies to collect information about you or your device. These third parties include:

  • Advertisers and ad networks;
  • Analytics companies;
  • Social media platforms; and
  • Service providers that support our website and operational functionality.

These third parties may use tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our Services, including accessing our website. The information they collect may be associated with your personal data or they may collect information, including personal data, about your online activities over time and across different websites, apps, platforms, and other online services. We do not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how they may be used. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the responsible provider directly.

From Business Partners and Service Providers

We may receive personal data about you from other sources and combine it with information we collect directly from you. For example, we may receive information from service providers we use to support our operations, such as payment processors, analytics and security providers, and customer support tools.

We may also receive information about you from our community partners – such as schools, non-profits, and recreation partners – in connection with referrals, enrollment, participation, or eligibility for joint programs.

How We Use Your Information

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal data, to:

  • Provide and operate our Services;
  • Process and fulfill orders and transactions;
  • Administer your account and manage your relationship with us;
  • Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support;
  • Conduct research and analysis to improve and develop our Services;
  • Fulfill contractual obligations and enforce our rights, including billing and collection;
  • Comply with legal obligations, ensure data security, and protect the integrity of our systems; and
  • Carry out any other purpose disclosed to you at the time you provide the information, and for any other purpose with your consent where required by applicable law.

We use personal data only for purposes that are reasonably necessary and proportionate to provide and maintain our Services, or as otherwise permitted by applicable law. We may share personal data with our trusted service providers and partners that perform services on our behalf and help us operate our Services, such as our third-party membership platform provider that supports account login, membership administration, and related features. We do not sell personal data, and we do not use minors’ personal data for targeted advertising.

Excluding the personal data of minors, we may also use your information for targeted advertising (also known as interest-based advertising), to send and/or show you advertisements that may be more relevant to you across our Services and third-party websites or applications. You have the right to opt out of targeted advertising by contacting us at Contact Information. We will process your request in accordance with applicable laws and this policy. You can also opt out of receiving targeted advertising from members of the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI“) on the NAI’s website at https://optout.networkadvertising.org.

Who We Disclose Your Information To

We may disclose personal data that we collect or you provide, as described in this privacy policy, to the following:

  • To the Maryland State Department of Education’s Office of Child Care, Columbia Villages, Howard County Public School System, Chesapeake Skating School, The First Tee of Howard County, Columbia Clippers, Columbia Neighborhood Swim League team administrators, and The Spirit Club Foundation;
  • To our service providers that manage our CA Portal, CA App, and the Member Login portal page on our website.
  • To other contractors, service providers, community partners, and other third parties we use to support our business; and
  • To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of the Company’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal data held by the Company is among the assets transferred.

We may also disclose your information:

  • To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;
  • To enforce our Terms & Conditions; or
  • If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our customers, or others.

The categories of personal data we may disclose to third parties include:

Maryland Privacy Rights

Maryland law provides Maryland residents with specific rights regarding personal data we process about you. Under Maryland law, Maryland residents may have the right to:

  • Confirm whether we are processing your personal data;
  • Access your personal data;
  • Correct inaccuracies in your personal data;
  • Request deletion of your personal data;
  • Obtain a copy of certain personal data in a portable format (to the extent required by law); and
  • Opt out of the processing of your personal data for purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

You (and, where applicable, a parent or legal guardian) may exercise these rights by contacting us at Contact Information. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To process your request, we may ask you (or your authorized agent) for information to verify your identity and confirm your authority that is consistent with the verification guidelines set forth by Maryland law. We will respond to a verified request within 45 days, and we may extend this period by an additional 45 days when reasonably necessary due to the complexity or number of requests, with notice to you within the initial 45-day period. If we deny your request, we will explain why and provide instructions on how to appeal our decision. We will respond to an appeal within 60 days. If we deny an appeal, we will provide a mechanism for you to contact the Maryland Consumer Protection Division to submit a complaint.

How We Protect Your Personal Data

We use commercially reasonable administrative, physical, and technical measures designed to protect your personal data from accidental loss or destruction and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. However, no website, mobile application, system, electronic storage, or online service is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of your personal data transmitted to, through, using, or in connection with the Services. In particular, email, texts, and chats sent to or from us may not be secure, and you should carefully decide what information you send to us via such communications channels. Any transmission of personal data is at your own risk.

Where we process sensitive data, such as Cultural Information and Health & Safety Information, we do so with appropriate consent, and we apply heightened protections.

The safety and security of your information also depends on you. You are responsible for taking steps to protect your personal data against unauthorized use, disclosure, and access.

How We Retain Your Personal Data

We keep the categories of personal data described in this policy for as long as reasonably necessary and proportionate to fulfill the purposes described above, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law, such as maintaining the Services, operating our organization, complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and for safety, security, and fraud prevention. This means that we consider our legal and business obligations, potential risks of harm, and nature of the information when deciding how long to retain personal data. At the end of the retention period, personal data will be deleted, destroyed, or deidentified.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time, and we will provide notice of any such changes to the policy as required by law. The date the privacy policy was last updated is identified at the top of the page. We will notify you of changes to this policy by updating the “last updated” date and posting the updated policy on our website. We may email or otherwise communicate reminders about this policy, but you should check our website periodically to see the current policy and any changes we have made to it.

Contact Information

To exercise your rights or ask questions or comment about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, contact us at:

Columbia Association, Inc.
6310 Hillside Court, Suite 100, Columbia, MD 21046
Privacy@ColumbiaAssociation.org
410-715-3000