Bytown Bookshop mentions a study (published in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility) on books and success. They found a correlation between simply having books around the house and how many years of schooling a child will likely complete. Children growing up in homes of more than 500 books had the greatest advantage.
Relatedly, Hippy Ottawa has programs, especially for immigrant families but open to others, to encourage family literacy for families with pre-schoolers.