This study evaluated a parent-mediated preventive intervention for children's literacy skills 1 year after participation. Parents of 3 1/2 to 4 1/2-year-old-children (n = 69) recruited through early childhood centers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a target shared reading condition emphasizing phonological awareness ("Strengthening Sound Sensitivity"; SSS); (b) an alternative shared reading condition emphasizing meaning-related extra-textual talk (Rich Reading and Reminiscing; RRR); or (c) a non-reading activities control condition ("Activity-Based Control"; ABC), all implemented for 6 weeks. Together, SSS and RRR comprise Tender Shoots. Tender Shoots' conditions included one parent-education session, used the same books, provided parents two books per week, and encouraged scaffolding higher-level skills through repeated readings and verbal interactions outside reading. The non-reading control provided weekly resources and suggested activities for preschool children. At follow-up 1 year later, children (n = 62; 5- to 6-years-old) were in their first year of primary school and reading instruction. Controlling for age and baseline alphabet knowledge, analyses indicated benefits of SSS participation for children's letter sounds (d = 0.74), pseudoword (d = 0.85) and word reading (d = 0.66), book level (d = 0.82), and teacher judged reading (d = 0.60) relative to ABC, with medium to large effects. Age at follow-up moderated the effect of condition on word reading, such that benefits of SSS were observed for children who were older and had been in school longer (around 6 months or more). Findings suggest SSS is promising for preparing preschool children for reading acquisition.