College funding isn't just about money—family funds, tax credits, grants, scholarships, employment, and loans. It's also about your child's interests, abilities, and career and school choices.

Next to buying a house, helping your child pay for a college education may be the second-largest expenditure you'll ever make. But money is only one of many factors in the education equation.

How much funding your children will need and how they'll get it will depend in part on the schools and careers they choose and on the grades they earn. In turn, schools, careers, and grades are largely determined by your children's interests and abilities and by the support they get in their early years. So, in addition to college funding, this article outlines three related issues: childhood learning, career options, and choosing a college.

• Childhood learning
• Career options
• Choosing a college
• Funding a college education
• Funding sources