Young learners of Japanese heritage language (JHL) need a solid foundation of oral language to develop strong literacy skills. Considering the limited hours of instruction at JHL schools, oral language and literacy skills rely on a joint effort between the JHL school and parents. JHL schools that help parents understand the nuances of JHL development, will help students read and write more fluently in their heritage language. This article compares language acquisition and schooling of young Japanese heritage language learners in the U.S. with Japanese as a native language (JNL) and Japanese as a foreign language (JFL), and suggests instructional approaches to assist JHL speakers in their literacy development.