Reading, writing, math, science, and other skills learned in school are essential for a child to succeed in both higher education and in life. Many factors contribute to a student's acquisition of these skills, including their learning environment, preschool education, mental and emotional development, parental involvement, and dedication to learning. However, the problem many young children face is that all of these factors can be greatly influenced by their family's socioeconomic status (SES). Unfortunately, until recently, there was little understanding of how teachers could help these “at risk” children, leading to an increased likelihood that children would drop out of school or repeat a grade. However, it is now becoming clear that there are ways in which educators can help ensure children have successful academic careers and better lives. Parental support has been shown to be extremely important in a child's literacy success. It often begins with the simple ritual of “bedtime stories” at home. Studies show that children who are read to at a young age do better in literacy later in life. From a young age, children begin to understand how the written word works if they are exposed to it frequently. Babies who are far from having the mental capacity to read and understand a book are still able to “follow along” when their parents or guardians read to them. These children understand that each segment of writing represents a word and they are even able to recognize when text is upside down because they are accustomed to the appearance of the writing. This gives the child a significant head start when it comes time to learn to read. Unfortunately for many children who arrive middle of paper......Economic contexts. Deakin, Australia: Deakin University. Howard, T., Dresser, S., & Dunklee, D. (2009). Poverty is not a learning disability. Poverty is NOT a learning disability: Leveling the playing field for low-SES students (p. 20). Thousand Oaks: Corwin.Lee, VE and Burkam, DT (2002). Inequalities at the start: differences in achievement by social background as children enter school. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute. New, R.S. and Cochran, M. (2007). Socioeconomic status. Early childhood education: an international encyclopedia (p. 749). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Rose, M. (1989). Lives on the Border: The Struggles and Accomplishments of the Underprepared United States. New York: Free Press. Stigler, J. W. and Hiebert, J. (1999). The Teaching Gap: The Best Ideas from Teachers Around the World for Improving Education in the Classroom. New York: Free Press.