The key is to start at birth. Immersing a child in a rich literacy environment can be a stronger predictor of literacy and academic achievement than family income. The more words a child hears, the larger the child’s vocabulary, and the larger the child’s vocabulary, the more likely the child will be a proficient reader.
Ensuring that children develop early literacy skills is one of the most important things we can do - as parents, as teachers - and as a society.