There is a paucity of empirical studies in how school-age children engage in literacy in the home (Thomas, 1998), although anecdotal reports and best practices opinion papers abound (Nickse, 1989). Theoretically-framed research is clearly needed (Thomas, 1998; Unwin, 1993). In addition, Hicks (2002) points out how studies of school children's learning needs and how they engage in literacy centre more on ethnicity and less on class. This focus implies that poor and working class children are primarily from ethnic minorities and ignores the existence of many poor and working class white children. Hicks states that more research is needed on this latter group who may also "experience painful cultural dissonance in middle class classrooms" (p. 4).

Looking back, it is evident that I had become frustrated with the limitations in research on literacy in low-income homes when I began searching for answers to my questions why so many children from low-income environments seemed to have more special learning needs and a less than adequate literacy foundation. Thus, this exploratory study aimed to help fill some of the research void by looking at the daily experiences of families living in low-income circumstances and examining factors that contribute to or restrict their level of literacy attainment. I intimately examined the lives of the selected families, while remaining sensitive to their context. I evaluated existing literacy education in their children's school and community contexts. For the purposes of this research, low-income families are defined as those receiving government income assistance and meeting provincial guidelines to receive subsidies for housing and daycare arrangements. The definition adopted for the family includes any combination of people that reside regularly in the home and who may or may not be related by blood.