A study explored whether children from lower class families would approach early writing with less confidence than children from other social classes. Subjects, 233 kindergarten children in all, represented four public elementary schools in very different settings: (1) an all-black low income neighborhood in the central city; (2) a white middle class suburb; (3) a middle class black housing subdivision in a lower class white neighborhood; and (4) a lower income white area where black children are bused to school. Of the 223 children, 95 were black and 128 were white. Forty-seven were middle class, while 176 were lower class. Social class was determined by the percentage of youngsters receiving free or subsidized lunches. Literacy instruction in all the schools was a traditional reading program. For the study, each child participated in an individual writing session and was asked to write eight words and a sentence. A newly developed Confidence in Writing Scale was used to rate the children. Data analyses were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results indicated that the middle class children were more confident in their ability to write than were the lower class children. Findings suggest that confidence in writing is related to social class differences rather than to race or sex. (A table of data is included.) (NKA)