(MONEY Magazine) – VEEDA & CRYSTAL KELLEY CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO

For parents who feel smothered by six-figure tuition bills, Veeda Kelley's philosophy will come as a breath of fresh air: Even if you can afford to pay the full freight, let your kids become stakeholders in their own education by kicking in some of their own money for college tuition, books and housing. Her motivation? The 55-year-old retired social worker fondly remembers the sense of accomplishment she felt after paying for 25% of her own education.

Her daughter Crystal, now 18, is starting her freshman year at Otterbein College, a $25,000-a-year liberal arts school just north of Columbus; scholarships and grants will cover $16,000. Veeda could easily take care of the difference, mostly with a $40,000 college war chest invested in funds. But Crystal never had any delusions about Mom picking up the full tab for school. Veeda insists that Crystal absorb roughly--you guessed it--a quarter of the total costs through student loans and summer jobs. Veeda explains, "This way her education will have value for her."

The idea of investing in your future is not new to Crystal. "My mom took me to open up my brokerage account the day I graduated from middle school,"says Crystal. The fiscally fit teen has funded the account with birthday money. It seems that the former Summit County Children Services supervisor's sense of social responsibility extended just a tad beyond her day job. Occupational hazard?

--MICHAEL J. POWE