Over the past several years and to the delight of many child care center directors, the early childhood field has received funding to educate individuals working in child care classrooms to support professional development systems. However, not everyone receiving these educational opportunities to support their professional development embraces all that they are learning; and some directors have reported observing teachers that are not implementing what they have, or should have, learned in these classes. Because many child care programs have been dominated by female teachers, gaining insight into the delicate balance between the developmental stages of individual women in the lifecycle and adult learning concepts is important to directors. As an on-site mentor and role model, understanding some unique factors related to these areas provides valuable insight to the director when supporting teachers as they progress in their formal or informal educational experiences. Through an awareness and understanding of adult learning principles and women's developmental paths, the director can serve as a sounding board for new learning by connecting course content to everyday experiences, enhancing motivation, and taking advantage of role modeling and mentorship opportunities. In this way, valuable learning opportunities are not lost, and the too-common collision between intent and reality can be avoided. (Contains 5 resources.)