All parents want the best school experience for their children. This booklet, presented in both English and Spanish, offers parents specific strategies to provide their children a good foundation for beginning reading. The guide first answers the question, "How Can I Help My Child Be Ready To Read and Ready To Learn?" with emergent literacy suggestions such as reading aloud each day, modeling that reading is important, and limiting television viewing. The guide next offers criteria for evaluating the school-age child's school reading program, including: whether children are appropriately evaluated, whether the program makes connections between reading and writing, and whether the program includes both silent reading and reading aloud. These criteria are followed by simple strategies for creating strong readers and discussing new words. The guide then outlines five essential components of reading: (1) phonemic awareness; (2) phonics; (3) reading fluency; (4) vocabulary development; and (5) reading comprehension strategies. A sheet for recording a reading plan is included. Information on the U.S. Department of Education's Partnership for Family Involvement in Education concludes the guide. (HTH)