and support educators to implement it in early childhood settings. Katz and Chard published The Project Approach in the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, stressing that the word project has many meanings. When used within early childhood education, the definition and features of a project are specific( Katz & Chard 1992; Katz 1994).
A project is an in-depth investigation of a topic worth learning more about. The investigation is usually undertaken by a small group within a class, sometimes a whole class, and occasionally by an individual child. The key feature of a project is that it is a research project deliberately focused on finding answers to questions about a topic posed by the children, the teacher or the teacher working with the children.( Katz 1994, 1)
OURPROUDHERITAGE
Lilian Katz
Toward the end of the twentieth century, Lilian Katz( b. 1932) began translating these ideas for a new generation, helping educators understand what the project approach meant for early childhood education in particular. Katz’ s interest in early childhood education began with her involvement in the cooperative nursery school her children attended. She pursued formal education in the field and eventually earned a doctorate from Stanford University. Over her professional life, she held influential roles in the field, including as a faculty member at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign and director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She also served as NAEYC’ s president from 1992 to 1994.( To read more about Katz’ s work, see“ Bernard‘ Bud’ Spodek and Lilian G. Katz: From Humble Beginnings to Extraordinary Impacts” in the Spring 2026 issue of Young Children.)
Katz worked with others, such as Sylvia C. Chard and Judy Harris Helm, over the course of decades to more clearly define project work
Many publications followed, often written with other colleagues and students. Katz also lectured and led workshops and taught classes throughout the United States and internationally. The most recent publication to eventually emerge from this seminal work is Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years, now in its fourth edition. Co-authored by Judy Harris Helm, Katz, and Rebecca Wilson( 2023), the book includes an accessible review of brain development in the early years as well as guidelines and insights for teachers of young children, including toddlers. Notably, this recent text still features the definition of projects listed above. More than 30 years later, Katz’ s definition of project work as in-depth learning driven by the questions of children still holds and influences teaching and learning in early childhood contexts.
Projects as Part of Today’ s Professional Toolbox
Focusing on holistic learning that springs from investigations of children’ s curiosities and questions continues to have relevance today. The project
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