Children’s personal experience, confidence and

success (or otherwise) with books and reading,

particularly at the initial stages, is directly

related to their attitude towards reading (Wang,

2000).

Many of these attitudes are developed prior to

school commencement and often are closely linked

to early literacy experiences in the home. Economic

conditions of the household may determine

children’s exposure and access to quality reading

materials in the home. Some low-income families

find it extremely difficult to resource their children’s

early literacy needs. While it appears that most

families are aware of the importance of the home

literacy environment and the need for reading

resources, too many are without books or lack an

adult who is willing to read to children.

With the realisation that family members can

contribute positively to early literacy development,

there has been a plethora of programs and initiatives

in recent years designed to support and encourage

family participation in children’s literacy education.

Surprisingly, most current programs assume (often

incorrectly) that parents/carers have sufficient

available finances to resource the literacy needs of

their children.