ABSTRACT
Our fascination with how literacy and language skills develop and our concern when children and adults experience difficulty in obtaining these skills have led to intensive studies of the roots of literacy. This exploration has taken us to families, the setting in which almost everyone learns the basic skills that form the foundation for later learning. Writers and researchers have examined family practices, beliefs, and resources to understand how families support literacy development. At the same time, they have studied these practices, beliefs, and resources to learn how literacy skills might best develop within families.
