To me, the biggest rip-off in this country is all the kid stuff...

Some of the biggest rip-offs are the talent competitions where they hold a cattle call

cattle call:

An audition in which a large number of often inexperienced actors or performers try out. and for an afternoon, kids will meet casting directors. You get there and they try to sell you all this stuff. They say, `He needs a thousand dollars worth of pictures or classes". Kids do need pictures and classes but there are so many classes out there.

So, how is a parent with an irresistible kid supposed to navigate the biz and earn some college money without getting burned? Just like adults, the hardest and most important thing for stage kids is finding an agent.
Getting a reputable agent is harder than getting the work. There are lots of Web sites that post pictures of potential talent for a monthly fee, but they are usually expensive, and casting directors don't look at most of them.
There's two ways to do it. You have to know someone who can introduce the child and submit pictures to agencies. Or you can send your pictures to agencies. In either case, there's no reason to pay for professional headshots until your kid is at least 5.

The No. 1 thing parents go out and do ... and you might as well put `stupid' on your forehead ... is go out and get professional pictures of babies,'' . For babies and toddlers, it's best to use cute snapshots and wait to do headshots until they aren't changing so radically every few months.