A study examined factors that may foster advanced knowledge of literacy among impoverished preschoolers who are generally found to be academically at-risk in learning to read. Six preschoolers enrolled in a Head Start program were identified by teacher recommendation as showing profound interest in written language (looking at books, writing letters, etc.) and most likely, in the teacher's judgment, to be successful in becoming literate. The six children were individually administered a battery of formal and informal measures to assess their overall literacy knowledge. Three of the six demonstrated advanced understanding of written language that placed them in the top quartile among their age mates from low- and middle-class homes. An extensive investigation of the three preschoolers revealed that regardless of a disruptive family environment, activities that promoted literacy development continued. Reading to children was found to be a regular routine in these homes. All three children were frequent writers. Of equal importance, an influential individual (mother, older sibling, or grandmother) was also discovered to directly engage the young learner in activities involved with written language. Regardless of the strategies adopted, the print-related experiences provided by the literacy advocate appear to have contributed substantially to advancing the three impoverished children's literacy development. (Four tables and two figures of data are included; 36 references are attached.) (Author/RS)