In an attempt to better serve the diverse educational needs of both traditional and non-traditional college students, a self-directed learning process plan was implemented in two community college early childhood education classes. The process began with an informal introductory meeting between instructor and students, followed by individual student interviews conducted by the instructor during the following week. Additionally, students completed a questionnaire indicating their educational needs. Next, students established their educational objectives for the class, and each student designed a learning contract which was to serve as a guide for the semester. Once the contract was reviewed and approved by the instructor, students presented their contracts to the class. Both the instructor and the students completed weekly log entries which verified the design, implementation, and assessment steps of the self-directed learning process. Outcomes included the following: (1) of the 31 students who enrolled, 30 completed their contracts; (2) only 2 of the 31 students stated a preference for traditional learning modes while the self-directed process was preferred by 29; (3) all students reported that the process was useful in meeting their educational needs; and (4) 27 of the 31 students reported that the instructor served effectively as a facilitator. Appendixes contain course syllabi, questionnaires, interview questions, weekly log forms, and model learning contracts for the two courses. (MAB)