Natural Health Ministries Education Center & PENothecary™ Learning Hub

Effective Date: August 2026

Natural Health Ministries Education Center (“NHMEC”) respects the privacy of our students, members, families, website visitors, and participants.

This Privacy Policy explains how information may be collected, used, stored, and shared when you visit an NHMEC website, become a PENothecary™ member, participate in educational activities, enroll in NHMEC educational offerings, participate in homeschool learning, apply for the NHMEC Professional Registry, purchase Professional Mentorship, or communicate with NHMEC.

1. About NHMEC and PENothecary™

Natural Health Ministries Education Center is a private, faith-based, non-licensure educational institution.

The PENothecary™ Learning Hub is the private online learning environment through which NHMEC educational opportunities are provided.

PENothecary™ membership is held by an adult member.

NHMEC also offers designated homeschool educational opportunities that may be used by children and teens under the supervision of an adult PENothecary™ member.

2. Information We May Collect

Depending upon how you interact with NHMEC, we may collect information such as:

• Name

• Email address

• Telephone number

• Mailing address when necessary

• PENothecary™ membership information

• Payment and transaction information

• Educational participation records

• Class and Course completion records

• Diploma Program records

• Assignment or assessment information

• Professional Registry application information

• Professional Mentorship information

• Communications sent to NHMEC

• Information voluntarily submitted through forms

• Technical information generated through websites or third-party services

• Other information reasonably necessary to provide the educational or administrative service requested

NHMEC attempts to collect only information reasonably necessary for educational, membership, administrative, communication, professional-development, or legal purposes.

3. PENothecary™ Membership

PENothecary™ membership is intended to be maintained by an adult age 18 or older.

The adult member is responsible for:

• Maintaining the membership account

• Providing accurate account information

• Managing access to the Learning Hub

• Supervising minor homeschool learners using the membership

• Communicating with NHMEC

• Making payments

• Submitting information when required

• Protecting account login information

• Following NHMEC and PENothecary™ policies

A minor does not independently purchase or maintain a PENothecary™ membership.

4. Homeschool Students & Minor Learners

NHMEC may provide designated Classes, activities, workshops, projects, printables, educational resources, and other learning opportunities appropriate for homeschool students.

Adult Membership Is Required

A homeschool student under age 18 may participate only through an active adult PENothecary™ member.

The participating adult should be:

• The child's parent or legal guardian; or

• An authorized supervising adult participating with the knowledge and permission of the child's parent or legal guardian.

The adult member remains responsible for supervising the child's participation.

Minor learners do not maintain independent PENothecary™ memberships.

The membership, account access, payment information, and primary communication with NHMEC remain associated with the adult member.

5. Children's Privacy

NHMEC seeks to minimize the collection of personal information directly from children.

Whenever reasonably possible, information concerning a homeschool student should be submitted by the child's parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult member rather than directly by the child.

Children should not independently submit personal information such as:

• Home address

• Personal email address

• Telephone number

• Full date of birth

• Photographs containing identifying information

• Location information

• Private family information

• Account passwords

• Financial information

• Other unnecessary personally identifying information

unless specifically requested by NHMEC and appropriately authorized by the child's parent or legal guardian.

6. Children Under Age 13

Special privacy considerations apply to children under age 13.

NHMEC does not intend for children under age 13 to independently create accounts, purchase memberships, make payments, or provide personal information directly to NHMEC.

A child under age 13 participating in an NHMEC homeschool educational opportunity must participate through the adult member responsible for the child's learning.

When information about the child is reasonably necessary for an educational purpose, NHMEC will seek to obtain the information from or with the involvement of the child's parent or legal guardian and will seek to limit collection to information reasonably necessary for that purpose.

Where applicable law requires parental notice or verifiable parental consent before information may be collected, used, or disclosed, NHMEC will seek the required permission before proceeding.

7. Homeschool Assignments & Student Work

Some homeschool Classes may include:

• Worksheets

• Projects

• Written assignments

• Artwork

• Photographs of completed projects

• Educational activities

• Quizzes

• Learning journals

• Other student work

Whenever possible, homeschool student work should be submitted through the adult member.

NHMEC does not require a child to publicly post personally identifying information in order to participate in homeschool learning.

Parents and guardians should review student work before submitting it and remove unnecessary personal information.

8. Photographs, Videos & Student Creations

NHMEC will not intentionally use an identifiable minor student's photograph, video, testimonial, artwork, project, or other personally identifiable student submission for public advertising, social media, promotional materials, or similar public purposes without appropriate permission from the parent or legal guardian.

Permission to participate in a homeschool Class is not automatically permission for NHMEC to publicly use a child's image, name, work, or likeness.

Separate permission may be requested when appropriate.

9. How We Use Information

Information collected by NHMEC may be used to:

• Provide PENothecary™ membership access

• Provide Classes, Courses, and Diploma Programs

• Provide homeschool educational opportunities

• Maintain educational records

• Review assignments and assessments

• Provide student support

• Communicate with adult members

• Process membership payments

• Maintain account information

• Administer Diploma Program requirements

• Process Professional Registry applications

• Provide Professional Mentorship

• Respond to questions or requests

• Send educational or administrative notices

• Maintain the security and operation of NHMEC services

• Comply with applicable legal obligations

• Improve NHMEC educational resources and services

Information will not be intentionally collected merely because it may be useful at some future time.

10. Payments

Payments for PENothecary™ membership, Professional Registry services, Professional Mentorship, products, or other applicable services may be processed through third-party payment providers.

NHMEC may receive transaction information necessary to document payment, but payment providers may independently collect and process financial information according to their own privacy policies and terms.

NHMEC does not control the privacy practices of independent third-party payment processors.

11. Third-Party Platforms

NHMEC and PENothecary™ may use third-party services to provide educational and administrative functions.

These may include services used for:

• Website hosting

• Learning access

• Email

• Forms

• Documents

• Video

• Online meetings

• Community participation

• Payment processing

• File storage

• Communication

• Other educational technologies

These providers may collect information according to their own privacy policies, terms, and account requirements.

Adult members are responsible for reviewing the privacy practices and age requirements of third-party services used by their household.

When a minor learner participates, the adult member should remain involved in the child's use of third-party educational technology.

12. Google Accounts & PENothecary™ Access

PENothecary™ may use Google services as part of its private Learning Hub.

An adult PENothecary™ member is responsible for the Google account used to access member materials.

If a child uses a Google service as part of homeschool learning, the parent or legal guardian is responsible for ensuring that the child's account, supervision settings, and use of Google services comply with Google's applicable age and family-account requirements.

NHMEC does not control Google's account requirements or privacy practices.

13. Private Community Participation

PENothecary™ may include access to private community activities or third-party community platforms.

Minor homeschool learners should not independently participate in adult community spaces unless a particular activity is specifically designated for minors and participation has been authorized and supervised by the responsible adult member.

The adult member is responsible for supervising a minor's participation in any approved interactive activity.

14. Professional Registry

Students or graduates who voluntarily apply for the NHMEC Professional Registry may be asked to provide additional information reasonably necessary to:

• Verify educational completion

• Review Registry eligibility

• Maintain Registry records

• Communicate regarding Registry status

• Process Registry fees

• Administer renewal or continuing-education requirements

Professional Registry participation is optional and separate from PENothecary™ membership.

If any Registry information is intended to appear in a public directory, NHMEC should obtain the Registrant's authorization for the information to be displayed.

15. Professional Mentorship

Professional Mentorship is an optional service available to eligible NHMEC Professional Registrants.

Information shared during mentorship may include educational history, professional goals, intended business activities, certification goals, insurance questions, or other professional-development information voluntarily provided by the Registrant.

NHMEC uses this information for the purpose of providing mentorship and related student support.

Professional Mentorship does not authorize NHMEC to disclose a Registrant's private information to an outside certification organization, insurer, licensing body, association, or other third party without authorization or another lawful basis.

16. Sharing of Information

NHMEC does not sell personal information to advertisers.

Information may be shared when reasonably necessary with service providers used to operate NHMEC or PENothecary™, process payments, maintain educational services, or provide requested functions.

Information may also be disclosed when required by law or when reasonably necessary to protect the rights, safety, security, or integrity of NHMEC, its students, members, or others.

Information concerning minor homeschool learners will not be intentionally shared publicly simply because the child participates in NHMEC educational activities.

17. Data Retention

NHMEC may maintain information for as long as reasonably necessary for:

• Membership administration

• Educational records

• Program completion records

• Diploma documentation

• Professional Registry records

• Financial and accounting records

• Legal or administrative requirements

• Resolving disputes

• Maintaining appropriate institutional records

Information that is no longer reasonably necessary may be deleted, anonymized, or securely disposed of according to NHMEC's administrative practices and applicable requirements.

NHMEC seeks to avoid retaining unnecessary personal information about minor homeschool learners.

18. Parent & Guardian Requests

A parent or legal guardian may contact NHMEC regarding personal information NHMEC maintains about their minor child.

Subject to applicable law and appropriate identity verification, a parent or guardian may request information concerning:

• What personal information has been collected

• Why the information was collected

• Correction of inaccurate information

• Deletion of information when appropriate

• Discontinuation of future collection when applicable

NHMEC may retain information when reasonably necessary or legally required for recordkeeping, security, dispute resolution, or another legitimate purpose.

19. Security

NHMEC takes reasonable administrative and practical measures intended to protect personal information.

No website, email service, online learning environment, electronic storage system, or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Members are also responsible for protecting their passwords, Google accounts, devices, and PENothecary™ access.

Adult members should not provide Learning Hub login credentials to individuals who are not authorized to use their membership.

20. Educational Records

NHMEC may maintain educational records related to a student's participation and completion of educational offerings.

For homeschool students, NHMEC educational records do not replace the parent or legal guardian's responsibility to maintain any homeschool documentation required by the laws applicable to their household.

NHMEC does not represent that participation in a homeschool Class satisfies any particular state homeschool curriculum, attendance, credit, graduation, or reporting requirement unless expressly stated for a specific offering.

Parents and guardians remain responsible for determining how an NHMEC educational offering may be used within their homeschool program.

21. Changes to This Privacy Policy

NHMEC may update this Privacy Policy as educational services, technology, legal requirements, or institutional practices change.

The current version of the policy will be published through the NHMEC website.

Continued use of NHMEC or PENothecary™ services following an update is subject to the current policy and any additional consent requirements required by applicable law.

22. Contact NHMEC

Questions about this Privacy Policy, homeschool student privacy, PENothecary™ membership information, or requests concerning personal information may be directed to Natural Health Ministries Education Center through the contact information provided on the official NHMEC website.

Homeschool Privacy Summary

For families, the policy is simple:

The adult joins PENothecary™.

The homeschool student learns through the adult member's access.

The adult supervises the child's participation.

Children do not independently purchase or maintain PENothecary™ memberships.

NHMEC seeks to collect information from the adult rather than directly from the child whenever reasonably possible.

Parents and legal guardians remain in control of their child's participation and personal information.