Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of Hearthslate (the “Service”), operated by Hearthslate Education (“Hearthslate,” “we,” or “us”). By creating an account or paying for a subscription, you agree to these Terms.

1. Who can use Hearthslate

The Service is intended for parents and legal guardians of school-age children. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. Children under 13 may use the student dashboard only as authorized users under a parent or guardian account; we collect personal information from those children only with verifiable parental consent, in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). See our Privacy Policy for details.

2. Accounts and parent responsibility

You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential, for all activity that occurs under your account, and for the activity and learning progression of every child you add as an authorized user. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering.

3. Subscription and payment

Access to the full Service requires a paid annual subscription. Plans, pricing, and what each tier includes are described on the Pricing page.

• Billing. Subscriptions renew automatically each year on the anniversary of your initial payment, charged to the payment method on file, unless you cancel before the renewal date.
• No free trial. The interactive demos on this site are free to use without an account. The paid subscription does not include a separate free trial period.
• Price changes. We may change subscription prices from time to time. We will notify you at least 30 days before any price change takes effect; the new price applies at your next renewal.
• Taxes. Prices displayed do not include sales tax, VAT, or other taxes, which we may collect as required by applicable law.

4. Refund policy

Subscription fees are non-refundable once charged, except where we issue a discretionary refund for a genuine error (duplicate charge, mistaken charge after cancellation, extended service outage, fraudulent or unauthorized charge). The full list of refund-eligible situations is documented in our Cancellation & Refund Policy. We strongly recommend using the free interactive demos on this site to validate the product before subscribing.

To request a refund in one of those situations, email refunds@hearthslate.com with your account email and a brief description. A human responds within one business day; approved refunds are processed within five business days to the original payment method.

5. Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time from the billing page in your account dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current paid term — you retain access to the Service through the date your subscription was paid for. We do not pro-rate refunds for unused time, except in the situations listed in the Cancellation & Refund Policy. This satisfies the simple-cancellation requirement under FTC ROSCA (15 USC §8403) and California Bus. & Prof. Code §17602.

6. Content and intellectual property

• Our content. All curriculum, lessons, videos, illustrations, software, and other materials we make available through the Service are our intellectual property or licensed to us. We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use them solely for your family's educational purposes during your subscription.
• Your content. You retain ownership of any content you or your children submit through the Service (essays, work samples, portfolio artifacts). You grant us a limited license to store, display, and use that content for the purpose of providing the Service to you.
• Restrictions. You may not redistribute our curriculum or course materials, share account credentials with families outside your household (except where your plan explicitly allows multiple families), reverse-engineer the Service, or use it to train third-party AI models.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to use the Service to: (a) violate any applicable law; (b) infringe another party's intellectual property; (c) harass, abuse, or harm another person; (d) introduce malware, viruses, or other malicious code; (e) attempt unauthorized access to the Service, other accounts, or our systems; or (f) interfere with the normal operation of the Service.

8. AI-assisted features

The Service includes features that use artificial intelligence to generate tutorial responses, draw whiteboard lessons, evaluate reading aloud, and produce other educational content. AI-generated content may contain errors or omissions and is not a substitute for professional judgment. You are responsible for reviewing AI-generated content before relying on it for academic, compliance, or evaluative purposes.

9. State compliance and records

Hearthslate helps you track and prepare materials related to your state's homeschool requirements. We provide informational support only; we are not your legal representative. The accuracy and timely filing of any required documents with your state remains your responsibility. Always verify requirements with your state's education authority.

10. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you materially breach these Terms, fail to pay, engage in fraudulent activity, or use the Service in a manner that poses risk to other users or our systems. We will provide notice and a chance to cure where reasonable. You may terminate your account at any time by canceling and emailing us to delete your data.

11. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES WILL MATCH ANY PARTICULAR EXPECTATION.

12. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Hearthslate harmless against any third-party claim arising from your or your authorized users' use of the Service in violation of these Terms.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or through a notice in the Service at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after that point constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE], without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any dispute arising under these Terms shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in [COUNTY/STATE]. Both parties waive any right to a jury trial.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email us at legal@hearthslate.com.