Children around the world, especially in low-income countries, lack equal opportunities to develop the early skills on which school-based learning takes place. Indeed, global data show that there are hundreds of millions of children with very low reading scores, even after many of them have gone to school for two or more years. Current research has accelerated in the area of early grade reading, as well as in language of instruction. Multiple studies and interventions have suggested innovative directions to support children's reading among the most marginalized groups. The 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, along with other global initiatives, are poised to make a major positive difference for such children in the coming years. A renewed focus on early reading worldwide and among the poor is part of what has been called the "learning as development" agenda.