Finally moving with the times

[Inspired by Reggio]

I use photos for varied reasons in the program ~ they are a large part of my progress development documentation and program with the kids for 'reflection' and so forth and YES they are a wonderful asset for advertizing for new clients to see the kids engaged in fun and the 'look on their faces' while engaged in the play can really send that message .... IME more and more regulated childcare programs and schools are requiring consent for use of digital images as a part of the authentic portfolio creation as this is a large part of the emergent play-based curriculum.

So for every possible 'venue' I might use a photo clients have to choose between either

Yes ~ permission to use my child's photo in this manner is granted

or the other column option is

No, do not use my child’s photo in this manner. If my child's image cannot be cropped out a photo to be used, please digitally distort his/her image beyond facial recognition.

So basically consent is set up so that they cannot choose absolutely NO photos of their kid at all be taken or used for any purpose ~ if they want to be a part of the program some level of consent must be given at least to use it in the PROGRAM for documentation because well that is a 'deal breaker' for my program but I do respect their comfort level on how photos might be used publically and to alter their kids image if they are in the background and so forth.

I also have a section that states I have no control over if someone ELSE takes their photo while out and about without our knowledge or permission cause lets face it the minute you leave the house how do you 'stop' that and again I am not prepared to hide in my house to make sure it never happens!

I also have a section that indicates I have no control what a different third party might do with a photo consented to be shared beyond the program walls ... aka if a client takes documentation from the password protected area and shares it with their family or on Facebook I would have no way of knowing or controlling or being liable for that or if a third party copies and pastes a digital photo from an ad on Kijiji or my website again no control or liability over that.

Personally for me I am fully aware that in this day in age our 'digital image' is being taken ALL THE TIME .... Google Earth is snapping satellite photos of us in the yard or at the playground heck there is one image that went around from Google Maps 3D camera thing that showed some poor dude walking naked IN his house so you are not even guaranteed to have privacy there any more

Read online about another women tried to 'sue' the media because somehow an image of her falling in a water fountain went viral from a security video but she lost cause well basically it happened in 'public' and therefore was public and no control over someone snapping your photo anymore!

The bus drivers who are complaining they are being caught on camera and shared viral of them 'not doing their jobs' and so forth but having no recourse cause every one and your brother has a camera!

There are security cameras on the street and in the malls that are snapping images of us as we go about our business .... there are basically cameras 'everywhere' these days!

Seriously in the 'grand scheme' how is a couple photos of your kid engaged in fun to promote your childcare providers business going to be 'any different' than the 100's of other ways your kids image is already floating around in cyberspace!

Whats to stop someone in the grocery store employee from using the recording of your kid throwing the hugest tantrum to make a silly Youtube video and before you know it your kid is all over the net?

Do we think the 'People of Walmart' gave permission for those horrible photos of themselves to be splashed all over the world?

Also with family in the criminal justice system my understanding with pedophiles is they are not turned on by images 'freely available' online and are more likely to target a child they have seen IN PERSON somewhere and than obtain photos for their fantasy and they do not want ones openly available they want to get ILLEGAL pictures of children not openly shared because that is part of their sick perversion of being 'sneaky/forbidden' that turns them on ... so basically they are going to find out where you live and use their own camera take photos of your kid in the yard or playing or right through the window of your home on a long range zoom without your knowledge or they will find a computer trail of you and hack right into your computer and steal them off your hard drive because that is part of the 'excitement' for them .... they are not online looking at 'free photos' of kids through advertizements in magazines and so forth so really that fear is not based in reality of risk ... statistically speaking most 'pedophile abuse' is perpetrated by someone who KNOWS the child so I would be more afraid of Uncle Bob who always volunteers to take your kid for icecream at the Family reunion or the neighbor on the block with the 'cool toys' but no kids or the coach who offers to drive the kids home alone cause well they are the 'higher risk' of actually being the pedophile than some stranger who might see your kids photo on a daycarebear ad

[bright sparks]

Also with family in the criminal justice system my understanding with pedophiles is they are not turned on by images 'freely available' online and are more likely to target a child they have seen IN PERSON somewhere and than obtain photos for their fantasy and they do not want ones openly available they want to get ILLEGAL pictures of children not openly shared because that is part of their sick perversion of being 'sneaky/forbidden' that turns them on ... so basically they are going to find out where you live and use their own camera take photos of your kid in the yard or playing or right through the window of your home on a long range zoom without your knowledge or they will find a computer trail of you and hack right into your computer and steal them off your hard drive because that is part of the 'excitement' for them .... they are not online looking at 'free photos' of kids through advertizements in magazines and so forth so really that fear is not based in reality of risk ... statistically speaking most 'pedophile abuse' is perpetrated by someone who KNOWS the child so I would be more afraid of Uncle Bob who always volunteers to take your kid for icecream at the Family reunion or the neighbor on the block with the 'cool toys' but no kids or the coach who offers to drive the kids home alone cause well they are the 'higher risk' of actually being the pedophile than some stranger who might see your kids photo on a daycarebear ad

While I appreciate this opinion and perspective based on information from people with some inside insight, I think this is to general an assumption to be made. I get the psychy behind this, the appeal isn't as great if its easy in the minds of a pedophile, but its not the case for everyone one out there with a sick and perverted mind. There are many things that are out of my hands when it comes to being able to control things such as cctv, satellite imaging etc etc. I do however feel that if I can in anyway reduce the risk of my childs picture being made available to these kinds of people then the option should be given to me to refuse the right to my childs picture being used. I believe within the program where a picture is being used for educational purposes and within a trusted circle then this is absolutly fine. This is however IMO a very different use than posting online where there are websites and web users whose sole purposes are to source out pictures of children, amongst other things no doubt, and host them on sites and even amongst pedo circles. There are people online, every minute of everyday causing trouble and successfully hacking through firewalls, privacy software and anti-virus programs so a way to not let myself be consumed by anxiety over the true security of my childrens images, I refrane from posting any pictures of my own children online, EVER. The risk of one lazy, pedo googler trolling for kiddie pictures is enough for me to check the no thanks box. Also, being a lover of physical matter (real-life book fan for instance haha) I love to print my photo's and still have photo albums that I update on a regular basis. I also make an annual collage of each individual daycare kids photo's with a calender book on the bottom as a gift for parents to see their child grow through the year. The pictures I take of their children are emailed to them and printed out for my own personal collection and then deleted from my hard drive. This is what I have consent from the parents to do.

On my website the pictures are of the daycare space, and pictures of themed decorations and crafts that the children have made but without them in the shot.