Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the Montessori Core platform (“the Platform”), owned and operated by Montessori Core (“we”, “our”, “us”), a South African company. By signing up for or using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

2. Definitions

• School: The Montessori school or educational institution that subscribes to the Platform.
• Administrator: The individual designated by the School to manage the account, billing, and user access.
• Guide: A Montessori educator authorised by the School to use the Platform for observations, progress tracking, and communication.
• Parent:A parent or guardian with authorised access to view their child’s records.
• Subscription: The recurring billing plan selected by the School to access the Platform.

3. Account Registration

When you create a School account, you must provide accurate and complete information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account. You must notify us immediately of any unauthorised use.

The Administrator is responsible for managing user roles and permissions within their School. We are not liable for access granted by the Administrator to unauthorised individuals.

4. Subscriptions and Billing

The Platform is offered on a subscription basis. Pricing is displayed on our Pricing page and may be updated with 30 days’ notice. Subscriptions are billed in advance on a monthly or annual cycle through Paystack, our payment processor.

• Free Trial: New Schools receive a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. At the end of the trial, you must select a plan to continue using the Platform.
• Upgrades and Downgrades: Upgrading your plan takes effect immediately with a prorated charge. Downgrades take effect at the start of the next billing cycle.
• Non-payment: If payment fails, access to the Platform may be suspended after a 7-day grace period. Data is retained for 90 days before permanent deletion.
• Taxes: All prices are exclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise. You are responsible for any applicable taxes.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose.
• Upload or share content that infringes on third-party intellectual property or privacy rights.
• Attempt to circumvent the Platform’s security, access controls, or payment systems.
• Use the Platform to harass, abuse, or harm others, including children.
• Resell, sublicense, or redistribute the Platform.

6. Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its design, code, and branding, is owned by Montessori Core and protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Platform for your School’s educational purposes during the term of your subscription.

Content you upload (observations, child records, photos) remains your property. You grant us a limited licence to process and store this content solely for the purpose of providing the Platform to you.

7. Third-Party Services

The Platform integrates with third-party services including Paystack (payment processing), Supabase (database hosting), Vercel (application hosting), Cloudflare R2 (file storage), Resend (email delivery), and Anthropic (AI processing). Use of these services is subject to their respective terms. We are not liable for the availability or performance of third-party services.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by South African law, Montessori Core shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Platform. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount paid by you in the 12 months preceding the claim.

The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We do not warrant that the Platform will be error-free or continuously available.

9. Data Protection

Our handling of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy and Data Processing Agreement, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference. As a School, you are the responsible party for the personal information of your guides, parents, and children. We act as your operator (processor) under POPIA.

10. Termination

Either party may terminate the subscription with notice. Upon termination, your access to the Platform ceases. We retain your data for 90 days, during which you may export it. After 90 days, all data is permanently deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to Administrators via email at least 30 days in advance. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa.

13. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at: