Legal

Terms of Service

Effective May 1, 2026

The Short Version

Puddle is built by SayMake, Inc.. We help parents understand their children's development using research-backed insights and AI. By using Puddle, you agree to these terms.

Early-Stage Product Notice: Puddle is in active development. Features change frequently. Data may be incomplete. AI-generated insights are informational, not professional advice. By using Puddle, you accept that this is an evolving product and assume the risks described below.

What Puddle Is — and Isn't

Puddle provides informational tools to help parents think about their children's development. We surface research, map interests, and offer suggestions.

Puddle is NOT:

  • Medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice
  • A substitute for professional evaluation or diagnosis
  • A guaranteed predictor of outcomes
  • A replacement for your own judgment as a parent

Any decision you make based on Puddle's recommendations is your decision. We provide the research and the patterns. You decide what's right for your family.

AI-Generated Content

Puddle uses artificial intelligence (including Google Gemini) to generate Growth Snapshots, recommendations, and insights. Per California SB-243:

AI Disclosure: Content generated by Puddle — including Growth Snapshots, Monthly Briefs, decision guidance, and recommendations — is produced by artificial intelligence. It is not reviewed by a human professional before delivery. AI can make mistakes, produce generic insights, or miss important context about your child.

We work hard to make AI outputs specific and research-grounded, but we cannot guarantee accuracy. Always apply your own knowledge of your child.

Parental consent and child data

Where Puddle processes child-related information, we rely on verifiable parental consent under COPPA. Consent is recorded in separate scopes (such as maintaining a profile, AI processing, analytics for child-linked features, email digests, and disclosure to AI subprocessors). If you revoke a scope, features that depend on it will stop until you grant it again. You may also export or delete a child profile through the authenticated tools we provide, in addition to contacting legal@askpuddle.com.

School Information

Puddle displays school data from public federal sources (NCES, CRDC, EdFacts) and other publicly available information.

  • School data may be outdated (federal data is typically 1-2 years behind)
  • Not all schools are in our database — private schools and newly opened schools may be missing
  • Ratings and metrics reflect publicly reported data, not our endorsement
  • Always verify critical information directly with the school

Parent Reviews

If you submit a review of a school, you agree that:

  • Your review is based on your genuine experience
  • You will not include your child's name or other identifying information about any child
  • You will not post defamatory, harassing, or knowingly false content
  • We may moderate, edit, or remove reviews at our discretion
  • You grant SayMake, Inc. a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display your review on Puddle

Reviews reflect individual parent opinions, not SayMake, Inc.'s position.

Your Account

You must be at least 18 years old to use Puddle. You are responsible for your account security. We use Google OAuth — we never see or store your password.

Payment & Subscriptions

Some features require a paid subscription processed through Stripe.

  • Subscriptions auto-renew monthly unless cancelled. You can cancel anytime from your account settings or by emailing legal@askpuddle.com
  • Per California ARL 2025: you will see clear auto-renewal terms before purchase and can cancel with no more than two clicks
  • We may change pricing with 30 days notice to your email
  • Refunds are handled case-by-case — email legal@askpuddle.com

Assumption of Risk

Please read this carefully: Puddle is an early-stage product under active development. By using Puddle, you acknowledge and accept that:

  • Features may change or be removed without notice
  • Data may be lost during updates or migrations — we do our best to prevent this but cannot guarantee it
  • AI recommendations may be wrong — they are generated by machine learning models that can hallucinate, generalize, or miss critical context
  • Any action you take based on Puddle's output is entirely your responsibility — including decisions about your child's education, activities, and development
  • Service interruptions may occur — we are a small team and cannot guarantee uptime

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, SayMake, Inc. and its officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of Puddle.

Our total liability for any claim related to Puddle is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

Puddle IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. We do not warrant that Puddle will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that AI-generated content will be accurate.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SayMake, Inc. from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of Puddle, your violation of these terms, or your reviews and content.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms as Puddle evolves. Material changes will be communicated via email or in-product notice. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. Any disputes will be resolved in the courts of San Mateo County, California.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Email legal@askpuddle.com

SayMake, Inc. · Delaware C-Corp · askpuddle.com