Although child development laboratory programs continue to be important players in the child development and early childhood arenas, these programs face a number of emerging issues and challenges as they seek to solidify their support on campuses nationwide. Child development lab programs have been charged to serve as: (1) sites for personnel training in child development and early childhood education; (2) research sites; and (3) leaders in local, state, and national early childhood communities. Presently, many university-based child development lab programs are faced with threatened cutbacks or closures, due to the shrinking resources available at most state colleges and universities, the blurring of the roles and missions of lab programs, and the low priority placed by society on the education and training of child-care providers. Despite these trends, two phenomena are reviving interest in child development lab programs: the increased demand for child care at a time of serious concern over the quality, availability, and affordability of such programs; and the recent emphasis placed on research examining child development within individual, family, community, and societal contexts. Four interrelated issues need to be addressed to build support for these programs; (1) expanding program services; (2) reevaluating personnel training functions; (3) revitalizing model programs/leadership activities; and (4) expanding research opportunities. (Contains 18 references.) (AC)