The 3.0 DMG has rules for "apprentice-level characters" on p.40, though this information seems to have been removed from 3.5
Alternately, you could make them 1st-level Commoners and then when they earn a pre-determined amount of XP (say, 500) they replace that level of Commoner with a PC level, so that their further advancement isn't peanalized by a "worthless" level. I'd allow them to keep Feat and Skills slots open until they class if desired, though.
I ran a campaign several years ago in which 15-yo PCs had to "journey to the big city" find mentors and character classes after their rural village was destroyed. I used the following home-brew rules:
1) After rolling their stats, the Players were surprised with a temporary -2 Strength and -1 Wisdom if female, and -1 Str/-2 Wis if male;
2) HP was 1d4 + Con bonus;
3) PCs only received their "human bonus" feat (campaign concept had them all human);
4) Skill points totalled (1 + Intel bonus) x4 to a minimum of 4 total. They had to be spent classed as a Commoner;
5) Saves, Base Attack, etc. were all +0;
6) Equipment was whatever they could scrounge, since their village was destroyed.
When the PCs all found mentors after 3 sessions we jumped several years into the future as 1st level PCs who now gathered back together to avenge their lost families. No one received XP for the sessions, but for their 1st PC level they evolved with a few bonuses:
A) Ability age-adjustments were removed;
B) Kept their 1d4 hp, but not the Con bonus;
C) Gained Bonus and Class feats, but if spent the Human feat remained as spent;
D) All "childhood" skill points were gained as a bonus. Mostly these were Crafts like baking, basketweaving, weaving or Perform and other skills that had little adventuring impact, but gave the PCs a lot of initial personality and legitimacy to their backstory;
E) Base Attack & Saves for their new Class;
F) They finally got to spend starting GP for equipment, though nearly every PC kept a "souvenier" from their days in the wild.
HTH,
Rez
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