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In the final three decades of the 20th century one of the exciting developments in the field of educational research was the emergence of theoretically grounded empirical research into the origins of literacy in the preschool years. This work has led to a growing relationship between two fields that previously had existed in relative isolation from each other: reading research and early childhood education. The result of this research has been the investigation of the emergence of literacy, and environmental factors that support its emergence, and a new awareness of the relevance of literacy for early childhood educators. A manifestation of the potential of these converging efforts was the release of a joint position statement on early literacy by the National Association of Educators of Young Children and the International Reading Association in 1998. The investigation of early literacy has resulted in findings of …