Abstract: The acquisition of reading skills is the most important goal that children are required to meet in school. To be able to read fluently and with comprehension is fundamental to success in modern society. Despite many interventions, initiatives, and policy changes at the school, district, county, state, and federal levels, many children, particularly the most vulnerable in society, do not acquire adequate reading skills. Over the past 10 years, there has been an increasing amount of research in this area. The majority of this research was initially focused on the literacy development of school-aged children. Prominent organizations such as the National Research Council, the National Reading Panel, and the National Early Literacy Panel have carried out meta-analyses of research in reading. These organizations have recognized the importance of early literacy skills in future reading achievement. The goal of this project was to develop a process for the early identification of prekindergarten children who are at risk for future difficulties in reading. This project examined the skills identified by these organizations and other researchers in the field, in order to determine which are predictive of future reading skills. This information will be used to develop a protocol and checklist that will assist in identifying children at the prekindergarten level who are at risk for future reading delays. This will enable specific interventions to be implemented at an early stage in the acquisition of skills that, in turn, will result in higher levels of success in the early grades.