Child modeling is often viewed as an important stepping stone to a successful adult career in the entertainment business. For example, popular actresses like Brooke Shields and Lindsay Lohan all started off as young models. Child modeling is pretty much a part-time job, for both the child and his or her parents, and it is not an easy field to break into. Some children are lucky enough to be discovered in public places. Natalie Portman was fortunate to be spotted by a talent agent in a New York pizza parlor when she was just eleven years old – she went into acting fairly soon afterward, but only after dabbling in modeling first. But you can't expect that your child is going to be stumbled upon in a fast food restaurant by some powerful talent agent and become famous overnight.

In order to be a successful child model, your child is going to have to first land a few jobs and then use these little successes to build up a commendable portfolio that they can then rely on for future endeavors and auditions. So here are a list of questions and answers to keep in mind if you are considering signing your child up for a modeling career.

What does it take?

First off – an auspicious career in child modeling requires a willing, energetic child, a child who is passionate about performing and is ambitious enough that rejections won't easily hinder them. If you don't have a child like this on your hands, then immediately abandon the notion of getting him or her into the field of child modeling. Your child should always be the one in control; have only their best interest in mind, and no matter how financially profitable child modeling can be, money should not be the end goal here. (And anyhow, adult modeling rakes in double that of what child modeling does.)

So, if you're sure you just might have the next Brooke Shields in your home and they are begging for a chance to do professional modeling and acting, then you may want to seriously consider it.

Talk to your child about the amount of work it will require to get into the modeling business and let them know that the process should only be fun and educational – not stressful, and that if it ever turns in that direction, they should speak up! Also, set realistic goals. While it would be nice for your child to achieve the incredible success of some of the leading Hollywood actresses of today who had a similar start, you must not expect stardom and instead be satisfied with simple modeling jobs that just may pave the way for an adult acting or modeling career down the road.

Secondly, if you set out to encourage your child to model and they are simply not a good candidate, you are just asking failure to come knock at your door and destroy your child's hopes and dreams. The ideal child model is well-behaved, small for his or her age, outgoing and mature, has some acting and musical talent, has freedom to travel, and finally, lives in a city where there is a market for child modeling (the financial rewards are not great enough that your child should relocate if this is not the case).

Ultimately, to become a child model, you must have a dedicated, eager child and a supportive parent who has the free hours to invest into their child's career. What won't work is a pushy parent and a child who just goes through the motions. That is the recipe for disaster and is what the stuff of great childhood tragedies are made of.

Now, as a parent, you're ready to know the goods on the modeling business. Here are some questions to guide you as you seek more information on what it takes to be a child model:

How much money will you need to begin with?

It's difficult to answer this question with any one number. Essentially, it's challenging to get your foot in the door and it will take a little money upfront for you to get your child's career kick started. You may have to put forward money to enroll your child in acting, singing, and dance classes and no doubt you will be traveling for auditions and visits with talent agents; depending on where you live, this can be a costly endeavor. Finally, the most important investments for an aspiring child model are an impressive portfolio and a talent agent. Next up, you'll read specific strategies for getting both of these, but before you can think about that – do you even have the funds necessary? You'll need some extra bucks to invest in quality head shots and depending on the talent or modeling agency you choose, you will have to hire an agent to guide your child's career. If you're business-savvy, you may actually be able to be your child's own agent, at least for the beginning of your child's career. But soon enough, you'll be comparing the rates of talent agents.

How do you get the perfect talent agent and what about the portfolio?

Talent agencies are tricky beasts. Surely you've heard of numerous talent agency scams and the like. But the truth is, the modeling business is all about getting connections and sifting through as many job offers as possible. And that's hard to do without a talent agent! You've probably noticed, however, the world “talent,” rather than “model,” has come before agency here. This is because child models are best guided by talent agencies that are not so obsessed with modeling in particular. Frankly, even in the big, metropolitan cities, there aren't vast opportunities for modeling for children – but there are lots of singing and acting jobs your child model may be able to perform, thus a talent agency is probably more adept to serve you and your child.

Now, a portfolio is important, but you won't be able to get one of those until you've already landed more than a few jobs. And this article is about getting those jobs in the first place. What you will need are two professional photos of your child that you can submit to agencies. Do not go to just any local photographer and absolutely do not use a photographer that you've found on the Internet. Your photos should not be of the following styles: fashion, glamor, or portrait.

The rule of thumb is to not go looking for talent agents or jobs online. Real modeling work can be found by visiting real, tangible locations – not by surfing for it on the web! But remember, if you don't live in a major city, you'll probably be out of luck. Consider helping your child to excel in his or her school or community theater programs and keep your scope local if you live in some small, rural town. Only in the big cities, like New York and Los Angeles, will there be an active market and potential for profit.

What are modeling agencies all about? Are they to be trusted?

If you've ever listened to the radio or flipped on the tube or even browsed the World Wide Web, you've probably read and heard advertisements for modeling agencies, many that are traveling. But be wary of these. Agencies that are specifically designed for child models are not to be as trusted as talent agencies, which have a broader focus. These modeling agencies, especially those found on the Internet or those that tout that they are on a nationwide “model search,” often have suspect motives and are created primarily to take advantage of a child model's parents. For example, many will offer modeling classes for the child and invite the parents to conventions and other lectures that have a price tag. But nothing in these classes and events will be helpful – they're merely part of a bigger money-making scheme to distract parents and children from the fact that they aren't getting booked on any actual modeling or acting jobs!

An agency should only be concerned with getting your child a job. If this is where its income is derived from – booking child actors and models – then give the agency a shot; otherwise, you're waisting your time. Move on to to the next agency. In other words, the more services and extras a modeling or talent agency offers, the more wary you should be of it! Stick to the agency that keeps it plain and simple. But remember, most agencies don't even cover children in the first place. Depending on where you live, you might just be on your own as a parent.

Once you've picked out an agency, make sure to maintain a close relationship with it. Not only will this bode well for your child's reputation there, but you want to keep the agency updated about any physical changes your child experiences– and these are inevitable for a growing youth! For instance, if your child grows a few inches or puts on a few pounds, it's important that you inform the agency about this so they are only sent on jobs they are qualified for.