In the fall of last year, ALSC blogger Eleanor Howell-Shryock highlighted ways that she models consent in her story time at the library. As she mentioned in her post, this practice comes from the desire to help children learn bodily autonomy and to foster a culture that prevents sexual violence. After reading her article, I also thought about additional ways that the library might support caregivers in having these conversations outside of the library. This is when a local partnership began to take root.
In the later months of 2025, the Erin Levitas Foundation reached out to our library to inquire about a potential partnership opportunity. The Erin Levitas Foundation (ELF) is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focusing on preventing sexual violence and promoting healthy relationship development. Through meetings between our organizations, we identified ELF’s “Parent Talk” workshop as being the most beneficial for the community the library serves. This session is typically a one- or two-session program for parents, family members, or caregivers to learn tools to have age-appropriate conversations with their young children about body safety and bodily autonomy as well as healthy boundaries and healthy relationships. These sessions are led by ELF staff who share resources, language, and more around these topics. They are also interactive, allowing participants to share their own experiences and questions in a safe and non-judgemental environment.
As we come to the end of one school year, and already begin preparing for another, I find that many families in our community are already thinking about these tough conversations with their children, but are unsure of how to broach the topics. This is why I found this partnership to be so beneficial. ELF also takes their learning one step further and provides workshops and resources for educators to be able to prevent and interrupt sexual violence, as well. These sessions are beneficial not only for school-based individuals but also for community members, such as librarians, who work with youth day to day. If you are interested in learning more about the self-paced and free Teacher Talk program, you can find information at teachertalkprogram.org.
This program has now expanded to include other library locations in our system, and it has not even been a year since the beginning of our partnership. These conversations and connections are so important for young people to be successful and safe at home, school, and play. If you have thought about opening the door to discussions on body safety with the youth at your library, I would highly recommend an organization like ELF in your community to help support you on that journey! As we all know, children’s librarians are experts in many areas, but it is also okay to lean on experts in their field when the time calls for it.
All images in this article are used with permission from the Erin Levitas Foundation.
This post addresses ALSC core competencies 1.6, 3.7, and 3.8.
Annaliese Melvin (she/they) is a children’s librarian at a neighborhood library in Washington, D.C. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the DC-area in 2020 to become a special education teacher after graduating with her bachelor’s from Arcadia University. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and transitioned into the library field. Annaliese currently works to bring more inclusive programming to DC Public Libraries for children of all ages. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, reading, and Philadelphia sports.