A study investigated the knowledge kindergartners have constructed about the content and purpose of print in a variety of forms. It sought to identify their perceptions about literacy episodes that occur in the home, and to identify differences across socioeconomic levels. Subjects were 70 kindergarten children in or near a large Southern city, representing 16 urban poverty class (UP) children, 33 lower urban working class (UW) children, 10 suburban middle class (SM) children, and 11 suburban upper class (SU) children. Children were interviewed individually. Results showed that children from SU and SM backgrounds indicated they were read to more frequently than children from UP backgrounds, had greater familiarity with books, and had a better idea about book sources such as the public library. Children from SU backgrounds also reported that their parents liked to read, and they and their parents wrote more often at home than children from UP groups. The UP children knew a great deal about mail, and most children in the study were very aware of the newspaper. Therefore, teachers should use a variety of reading and writing activities related to mail and to the newspaper to make literacy connections between home and school. (Three tables of data are included, and an appendix of the interview questions is attached.) (SR)