Ariel Winter Hangs On Tight To Her Niece

Ariel Winter and her sister Shanelle Gray went to the Farmers Market in Studio City over the weekend, and the Modern Family starlet had a blast going down the slide with her darling niece Skylar!

“my birrrrffdddaaayy’s in less than a month! ;)” Ariel tweeted the other day. She added, “Hate being sick on New Years! At least @shanelle_gray & @davidbarrygray are the best! Taking care of me so well. Love them…<3." Note how there's no mention of her parents...

Last month the 14-year-old actress was removed from her mother's custody due to physical and emotional abuse allegations, and her sister Shanelle is her current guardian. Winter's father Glenn Workman has been given temporary control of her finances, and according to the agreement determined in a settlement last month, her mother Chrisoula will not have any involvement in her acting career. Winter will continue living with her sister until March, at which point the situation will be re-evaluated by a judge.

In other news, Winter, 14, is now reportedly enrolled at a private school in the Los Angeles area, and sources tell TMZ that Modern Family producers are willing to work around Winter's school schedule when shooting the hit ABC series. Winter had previously been privately tutored.