This document explores the possible use of the University of South Carolina at Columbia's (USC) Children's Center as a high quality child and family center laboratory that would serve the university. The existing USC child care center, which is operated by the College of Education, will close at the end of the 1991-92 academic year. Initial discussion of the status of child development and family support centers on U.S. university campuses is followed by a discussion of the status of such services in the USC system. A comprehensive plan for using the USC Children's Center is presented. The plan outlines the mission, facilities, and funding of the proposed center, and the center's relationships with other campus services. A key component of the plan is the placement of the center's proposed organizational structure within the central administration of the university, where it would be seen as a university-wide responsibility rather than a responsibility of the College of Education alone. A time line, budgets, and a letter from a delegation of parents to the provost of USC are appended. Contains 23 references. (LB)