Tabitha grayston la models kids

Every parent thinks their little tyke is cute enough to be a Gerber baby or in a GapKids ad. Marlene Wallach will be the judge of that.

Since 1998, Wallach has been president and owner of the Wilhelmina Kids & Teens modeling and talent agency, considered tops in the cute-kid industry.

She reps roughly 250 youngsters, from newborn up to 16 years old. Past clients include Natalie Portman, Katherine Heigl and Amanda Seyfried.

Originally from Bayside, Queens, Wallach earned an MBA from Pace before doing what many advise against: working with kids.

Now in her 50s, married and living on the Upper East Side, she also devotes herself to the empowerment of kids and teens, both through a line of self-help books and her Web site Just Ask Marlene.

It’s a busy time for Wallach, with an open casting scheduled for April 19 — at which typically more than 1,000 aspiring young models line the block outside Willy Kids’ Flatiron offices.

In the calm before the delug