Early Learning Institute

Early Learning Institute (ELI) is a 20-year-old, Palo Alto-based organization founded to increase learning opportunities for young children. Before offering services to the public, its founder—Dr. Charles Bernstein—and other researchers spent several years conducting research on child development, creating what is now known as the "HeadsUp! Approach" to early learning. This research base and the resulting HeadsUp! philosophy have served as the anchor for all subsequent development efforts and they continue to distinguish Early Learning Institute from other organizations offering children's services. ELI operates three child development centers, in Palo Alto, North San Jose, and Pleasanton. The centers borrow from the best model programs and make use of the most recent educational research. The infant and toddler programs use play and learning games to help lay the necessary foundation of all future learning. The preschool program is a modified Montessori curriculum incorporating art, music, and imaginative play into the traditional emphasis on practical life, sensorial, language, mathematics, science, and cultural activities. Through the Emerson School and the Hacienda School, HeadsUp! extends its child development program from first through eighth grade. The two schools, in Palo Alto and Pleasanton respectively, serve students ages six to 14 and are conveniently located near the HeadsUp! child development centers. At the schools, child development is a process of stimulation and enrichment with cognitive and manipulative materials as well as hands-on activities. Students, individually and in small groups, plan and assess their goals in learning. For more information visit our website: www.headsup.org