Do’s and Don’ts When Sharing Pictures Of Preschool Students for Marketing

Pictures of cute kids are a great way to stop the scroll with your social media ads, but not so fast. If you want to share pictures of your preschoolers online, you’ll need a waiver to do that so you don’t get sued! Here’s how to get your parents’ permission to share pictures of their children.

How To Word Your Photo Release Waiver*

Every parent who registers a child in your preschool will fill out a registration form for that child so the bottom of the registration form is the best place to put the photo release waiver for your preschool students. Your parents can check the appropriate box and sign that section to indicate whether or not they give you permission to share photos of their children online or elsewhere.

The waiver should say something like:

“I give [name of preschool] permission to post pictures of my child online which may include their website, Facebook page, newsletter, or any other place online that the preschool owner feels fit for marketing purposes.”

You may also want to include wording to cover the use of pictures of their child in print media as well, for example a newspaper or magazine article. 

At the bottom of the section have two choices:

• Yes, I give permission for my child’s pictures to be shared.
• No, I do not give permission for my child’s pictures to be shared.

* We recommend you consult with a lawyer for the correct wording.

What To Do If A Parent Does NOT Want Photos Of Their Child Shared

Occasionally a parent will not want their child’s pictures shared anywhere. In that case, mark clearly on the registration form, maybe in red ink, NO PICTURES. You won’t necessarily need to check every registration form before you post pictures of your students (though you may want to do that the first few times you post pictures of each class.) But the large NO PICTURES note will jog your memory to not include that child in any pictures that you may share.

You could blur out the faces of the children whose pictures you don’t have permission to share, but that takes time so it is easier to remember to just not include pictures of those children. The percentage of families who do not give permission is usually very small.

Absolutely Do NOT Share A Child’s Picture or Video Without The Parent’s Permission

Sharing pictures of people without their permission could violate privacy laws, especially where minors are concerned. It is possible to share pictures and never have the parents question it, but it is a legal matter and if a parent chose to sue you, they could. You do not want to have to fight a lawsuit that you would most likely lose, and then probably be liable for a large payout and possibly lose your preschool. ALWAYS get permission to share pictures of your preschool students anywhere!