This guide accompanies Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades K-1 and Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 4-6. It is designed to help parents respond to their children’s questions and concerns about sexuality. The term parent is used throughout the guide to refer to any loving caregiver -- an aunt, grandparent, foster parent, and so forth. The Our Whole Lives curricula are grounded on the assumptions that a parent is a child’s most important sexuality educator and that sexuality education begins and continues at home. Good sexuality education is founded upon good communication. Effective communication promotes positive attitudes about human sexuality based on a clear set of values including respect, reciprocity, and responsibility; accurate information; and skills in communication and decision making. This guide is designed to strengthen parents’ skills in each of these areas.

The guide includes information about the sexual development of children and tools for parents to help them help their children grow up in sexually healthy ways. The program guide to OWL Grades K-1 and OWL Grades 4-6 includes a summary of the topics of each session, questions parents often ask and possible responses, and examples of how to take advantage of "teachable moments." A glossary of terms used in both OWL curricula follows a Ceremonies and Celebrations section. The resource section includes resources required for the program as well as suggested resources for young children, older children, and parents and families.

Our Whole Lives for Grades K-1 and Our Whole Lives for Grades 4-6 were designed for use in a classroom setting. However, some parents may prefer to teach Our Whole Lives to their children at home. In either situation, parents can use this guide to enrich and supplement the OWL program and to deepen their understanding of how to be their children’s primary sexuality educators.

The REACH sample from Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades K-1, Sexuality and Our Faith Grades K-1, and The Parent Guide exemplifies how these three resources interface. Session One, "Our Wonderful Bodies," from OWL K-1 is included along with session one in the companion Sexuality and Our Faith and the Parent Guide program component to session one. Integrating the use of these resources recognizes and strengthens the partnership between the educating community and the home. This partnership recognizes the tremendous responsibility they share in teaching children what is socially and ethically appropriate and what is not. These resources provide participants with the knowledge and skills to live out their values.