Preschool can be an opportunity to emphasize literacy teaching and learning and to develop the role of "literacy as community," rather than being only kindergarten preparation. The results of two studies view children's literacy development as a dynamic, developmental process involving language, thought, and social interaction. In Meier's ongoing "Urban Study," conducted at an all-day, year-round child development center in northern California, questions are asked about literacy as community in an urban setting, ways to create an extra layer of literacy, and how literacy as community can contribute to early childhood program reform. The implementation of a bookbag program in this setting encouraged communication among teachers, students, and parents regarding program set-up, reading habits within the family, and literacy goals. A three-part session involving guided reading, group literacy activities, and independent reading appeared to promote an additional sense of literacy as community. Britsch's "Rural Study" analyzed two Head Start classrooms in a small midwestern town. The teachers, emphasizing the students' already acquired skills, aimed the program so that the children: (1) would become familiar with book concepts and tools; (2) talk openly, expressively, and comprehensibly, and (3) begin to build a base of social skills that would transfer to kindergarten. The teachers focused on inclusion, ownership, thinking processes, and stability to create an atmosphere that fostered those aims. (Contains 46 references.) (MT)