A primary effort in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) is to use science to discover the most effective approaches for promoting positive outcomes for infants and young children with disabilities and their families. Syntheses of the literature are identifying practices having empirical support, but a gap still exists between evidence-based practice and the actual practices practitioners use in EI/ECSE programs. In this article, implementation is proposed as the link between evidence-based practices and positive outcomes. Strategies for promoting implementation through "enlightened professional development" are proposed. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure, and 1 note.)