Chuck Bernstein is the creator of the HeadsUp!® Approach to early learning and president of Early Learning Institute. He earned his Ph.D. in languages and linguistics from Stanford University as well as an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He received his A.B., magna cum laude, from Princeton University.

Chuck was a governor’s appointee for seven years to the California State Special Education Commission and served as its Chairman in 1984. He has written a book and several articles on educational finance and has counseled over 25 states on methods of providing special education services.

Chuck’s consulting work has included both business and government assignments. He has taught business and financial management courses for corporate clients (e.g., Westinghouse, Warner Brothers, Coca Cola) as well as public-sector clients (e.g., U.S. Navy, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Civil Service Commission)

Before attending business school, Chuck was the General Manager of the Language Division of Behavioral Research Laboratories, an American Stock Exchange-listed educational services and publishing firm. He also wrote educational materials for two educational publishers and assisted in the development of a child’s “creativity center” for Magna Research, Inc., a venture-capital-backed startup.

Chuck was appointed to the Child Care Task Force by the California Senate. The recommendations of that Task Force resulted in a series of Senate bills introduced in 1989 by Senators Presley and Morgan. Chuck was also a member of the San Mateo County Child Care Task Force and the City of Cupertino Child Care Task Force.

Chuck has been a resident of Menlo Park since 1968. He and his wife, Candace Hathaway, are parents of two sons—David and Jordan, both graduates of the HeadsUp!® Child Development Center and Emerson School.