Secured cards are usually a pretty good starting point.
July 2013 score: EQ FICO 819, TU08 778, EX "806 lender pull 07/26/2013
Goal Score: All Scores 760+, Newest goal 800+
Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
Current scores after adding $81K in CLs and 2 new cars since July 2013
EQ:809 TU 777 EX 790 Now it's just garden time!
June 2017 update: All scores over 820, just pure gardening now.
I agree, secured cards are a good place to start. There are plenty of places you can get one-- many/most banks and credit issuers do offer them. I highly recommend doing the secured card through a credit union. They are usually easy to deal with. Good luck!
Starting Score: TU 490 on 11/2012You don't need a co-signer for a secured card, you just have to pay the security money up-front. I've heard of some people getting denied secured cards, but I believe that is rare. If she doesn't have a lot of baddies, and it's just a lack of credit history, she should be able to get one on her own.