First and foremost, I would like to say that this is definitely something that your child should want to do, or expresses an interest in, not so much what you want them to do. Obviously, that applies to kids who are old enough to know what they like to do. On the other hand, if you have a younger child who ranges from a few months to two years old there are ways of finding out.

Take my son for instance; I knew from the day he was born that he liked cameras. He never flinched for a picture. He always looked directly into the lens. A lot of times, he would stop crying when he saw someone getting ready to take a picture of him, but as soon as the flash went off or he heard that click he would resume with his crying. I know it sounds crazy, but it was a clue I picked up on. Other kids may just be really photogenic, or their face may light up when they are about to take a picture, etc…

I actually waited until my son was a year old to get him involved in the modeling world. Like any other parent who's excited about it, I took him to a few agencies that were a complete waste of my time. At the end of the day, all they wanted was my money. They promised this and that and said he had a great look. Then in the next breath, they told me I needed to invest money into getting him a portfolio made. Now from my experience as a model I knew that if an agency was interested in you, they would invest in you. Not to say that you would not pay that money back, but they basically advance you the money to get all of the tools necessary to get you started. Once you start working, they take not only their percentage as an agent or agency, but what you owed them for advancing you that money to begin with.

Now for younger child, it's different. First off, don’t let anyone tell you if your child is under five or six that they need to have professional pictures done for a portfolio. That has to be one of the biggest misconceptions ever. They don’t even need what you would call a "comp card." The reason for this is because a child, at a young age, changes so much and so fast that it does not make sense to spend hundreds of dollars on a shoot that's not going to be an accurate representation of your child in the next month of two. A simple snap shot that you take of your child is all that is needed. This can be done every month or two and sent to the agency depending on how fast your child develops and changes. You may need to provide them with about ten copies of the picture but at the end of the day, that is not going to amount to hundreds of dollars. Two snapshots of your child playing and laughing naturally are all you need. When taking these pictures, follow these guidelines:

1. One full length and one close up of the face.
2. Catch them at the playground being natural or playing with you or a sibling or something but just make sure it’s not too posey.
3. Make sure you dress them in bright colors that look good on them.
4. Make sure the clothes are plain with no logos or name brands on them. I have seen kids not been chosen for certain jobs because of that. For instance, if there is a Sean Jean casting that the agency is going to send the picture of your child to and your child is wearing FUBU, that’s automatic disqualification and most times the agency wont even send the picture. I know it may sound silly and petty, but it's true. Wal-Mart and K-Mart sell plain orange, green, purple, whatever color tops and bottoms for really cheap though.
5. Also, make sure your child does not have on any hats or berets. The agent likes the see the texture and length of your child’s hair, so keep that in mind. Try to avoid braiding their hair and things of that nature or making it extra curly, wavy or what have you. These agents and their clients do have imaginations and know the potential your child has. Whatever picture you send in of your child is how they expect your child to look in person.
6. Please no makeup, brow tweezing, or things of that nature. They want kids to look like kids.
7. It is also important that your child has some type of socialization skills because he or she may be expected to interact with another child.
8. Make sure your child can take direction for their age and knows how to share.
9. Also know when your child is having a bad day. If you arrive somewhere for an interview and your child is not cooperating, just leave and come back another day. There is nothing worse than having a whiny, bratty, or just plain old bad kid looking for representation.

Most places nowadays will just have you send some pictures through email and will contact you if they are interested. Other agencies might have an open casting call. Just do your research and make sure they are legit. There are also agents out there who would love to represent your child, but if you are just breaking your child into modeling, they are not necessary. An agency prefers to work with the kids that are within their agency first not through an agent. You must remember if you do go with an agent, you will be paying them a fee on top of whatever agency they get your child the job through. A 20% commission fee is about average and what an agency normally makes off your child. If you go through an agent, you may end up paying nearly double that, so just keep that in mind. It’s ok to try more than once with the same agency. Your child’s look may not be in one month, but exactly what they are looking for the next month. Patience is a virtue within this industry so make sure you and your child have that virtue and good luck!