A study described and evaluated a program for improving emerging literacy skills to better prepare children for beginning reading instruction. The targeted population consisted of kindergarten children in a blue-collar, lower-income community located at the southwest border of a large midwestern city. The problem of limited emerging literacy skills was documented using scores from a survey of concepts about print and researcher observations of reading and writing behaviors. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that targeted students had limited shared literacy activities at home prior to formal schooling and restricted access to reading and writing materials at home. The children had varied formal preschool experiences or they spent time in day-care centers that did not focus on developmentally appropriate literacy activities. Many families in the community have limited social, cultural, and economic resources. A review of solution strategies combined with an analysis of the problem setting resulted in the selection of an intervention involving adult volunteers who engaged in literacy activities with targeted children on a daily basis using a variety of appropriate reading materials. Post intervention data indicated an increase in the understanding of concepts about print for the targeted children. In addition, targeted children improved in the areas of listening and interacting behaviors in a one-on-one setting as well as in a group situation. (Contains 39 references and 3 tables of data. Appendixes present survey instruments, observation sheets, guidelines for volunteer readers, tips on reading to children, and a list of books used.) (Author/RS)