Child labor is a sad reality in many countries. Children of various ages are exploited in dangerous activities, deprived of the possibility of truly having a childhood, with the opportunity to study and play. Even though the number of children working has fallen substantially in recent years, this group still has a significant presence in the labor market. In this sense, the general objective of this exploratory study is to present the determining factors that influence the early entry of children into the labor market, as well as to understand the general profile of working children, the characteristics of the households in which they live, and the reference persons in the families of Brazilian children, especially children in the state of Minas Gerais in 2004. It is believed that child labor is a more complex issue than imagined, influenced by a wide variety of factors originating both within and outside families, and therefore deserves special attention from social policies.