The road to becoming a reader begins the day a child is born and continues through the end of third grade. At that point, a child must read with ease and understanding to take advantage of the learning opportunities in fourth grade and beyond--in school and in life. Learning to read and write starts at home, long before children go to school. Very early, children begin to learn about the sounds of spoken language when they hear their family members talking, laughing, and singing, and when they respond to all of the sounds that fill their world. They begin to understand written language when they hear adults read stories to them and see adults reading newspapers, magazines, and books for themselves. This booklet is for mothers, fathers, grandparents, and caregivers. Their roles in setting children on the road to becoming successful readers and writers do not end when they begin kindergarten. This booklet contains: (1) A short summary of what scientific research says about how children learn to read and write; (2) Things parents and caregivers can do with children at three different grade levels--kindergarten, first grade, and second and third grades--to help them become readers, as well as what to look for in quality reading instruction at each grade level; (3) A list of helpful terms; and (4) Ideas for books to read and organizations to contact if parents and caregivers would like more help or information. (Contains 10 resources.) [For the second edition, see ED482969.]