Language development in early childhood plays a critical role in school readiness and subsequent academic achievement (Brinkman, Sayers, Goldfeld, & Kline, 2009; Hoff, 2012; Janus & Offord, 2007). This paper describes and builds on the results of research into early vocabulary development using data from Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Combining these findings with those of international research indicates that joint attention and parent-child book reading are important facilitators of children’s early vocabulary development in Western societies. Importantly, research has demonstrated that interventions which target joint attention and parent-child book reading enhance children’s language development. It is concluded that incorporating what we know about joint attention and parent-child book reading into early childhood services and integrating these with Child and Parent Centres on school sites could provide the seamless ongoing support disadvantaged families and children need to help them close the gaps in early language development, school readiness and academic achievement.