Five major reasons for the high incidence of laboratory school closings are indicated prior to a description of survival strategies applied in the Early Learning Center at Pennsylvania's Kutztown State College's Child Development Laboratory School. Causes of laboratory school closure are the following: (1) financial difficulties; (2) retrenchment; (3) enrollment problems; (4) competition for space; and (5) organizational politics. Strategies facilitating program survival include enlisting parental support, raising tuition, maintaining a waiting list, keeping an active profile on campus and a high visibility off campus, developing and field-testing practical educational ideas, publicizing activities, and rendering the lab school's services indispensable. Positive features of the Early Learning Center are listed, as are indications of changes in its conditions. (RH)