Early childhood (EC) teachers are not receiving adequate professional development (PD) to support their development of capacities to improve EC program quality. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore EC teacher perspectives on PD to support their development of capacities to improve EC program quality. The conceptual framework guiding this study comprised Ingvarson's model on the impact of PD on program quality and Knowles's adult learning theory (ALT). Research questions addressed EC teachers' perspectives on the positive and negative attributes of PD. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 10 EC teachers with a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience in urban EC programs in the northeastern United States. Data were collected from interviews and analyzed using an inductive process to reveal themes from analyzing codes, patterns, and categories. Four themes emerged: (a) PD builds EC teachers' capacities to improve teacher practices and program quality; (b) mentoring, coaching, and teacher evaluation systems increase teacher capacity; (c) professional learning opportunities are managed by teachers when PD is not provided; and (d) EC teacher's increased job demands and limited staffing affect PD. Positive social change can occur when EC programs follow ALT when providing PD that is relevant to the needs of EC teachers. Staff developers may focus on offering mentoring and coaching for teachers following PD to improve program quality. The findings may result in improved instructional practices of EC teachers, improved program quality, and increased positive learning outcomes for children. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]