A child's literacy development is shaped a great deal by the family. The reading habits of parents and siblings contribute to the development of a child by serving as models for literacy. Educated parents are more likely to read and encourage their children to read and will also use a more varied and extensive vocabulary. Moreover, children growing up with at least one educated parent are more likely to have access to books within the home. Whether this is as a result of regular trips to the library or the regular purchase of books, this factor has significant implications in the development of reading skills. When children have experiences outside of school with reading and literature, they adopt a healthy outlook on the importance of reading outside the context of school and within the context of everyday living.
Encouraging children to read on their own positively influences their literacy achievement. Allowing students to choose from a diverse collection of literature supplies them with authentic texts from which to choose and motivates them to read. When students feel this type of consistent support in their reading development, they are more likely to read without being prompted. Furthermore, seeing themselves in the text is key when developing their literacy achievement. Authentic texts, time to read on their own and encouragement are important factors in every independent reading program.
Reading and writing are two essential components of literacy development. They are, in fact, inseparable. The more a child reads, the better she becomes as a writer. As a child interacts with literature and various texts, she begins to experiment with representations of sounds and words through her own writing. The more familiar she becomes with sounds and letters, the more accurate her own writing becomes. Through her writing, she is building literacy skills that will prove useful to her overall reading achievement.
The earlier a child is introduced to literature, the more likely he is to develop strong literacy skills. Children who attend literature-based day cares and preschools receive a significant amount of exposure to developmental literacy practices and acquire skills that influence their achievement at an early age. The rate of acquisition is influenced by the teacher's knowledge of literacy practices, skills and interventions. The teacher must work as a partner with parents, supplying them with strategies and tools to assist children in early language development. This is especially true for children coming from low-income families.