👋 Meet the Team
We’re Megan Jepson and Marshall Balick—partners in life and business, and the co-owners of Montessori 123.
Our journey started over a decade ago with a shared love of Education, adventure, design, and the desire to create something that could support both educators and families in meaningful ways. What began as late-night laminating sessions in our tiny apartment has since grown into a catalog of nearly 500 classroom-ready materials used by teachers and parents around the world.
🌱 Megan Jepson – Co-Founder, Educator, Creator
Megan is Montessori-trained in both Infant/Toddler and Primary (0–6), with classroom experience in Seattle, WA, Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the Methow Valley of Washington State. She brings teaching expertise, a love of simplicity, and a passion for connection to everything we create. Whether she’s teaching toddlers, testing a new card material idea with her daughters, or writing in the early mornings, Megan’s love for learning is unending.
She also loves hockey (especially late night games with her friends), getting a little bit lost in the mountains, playing with her horse, and ending her day with her daughters.
🧠 Marshall Balick – Co-Founder, Designer, Operations Lead
Marshall holds a Master's in Education and a background in marketing and design. He’s the engine behind the systems, printing, and tech that keep Montessori 123 running smoothly. He brings an analytical mind and steady presence to the creative chaos—and he has a knack for making materials that are visually clear and classroom tough.
He also enjoys getting into a flow state of laminating and cutting materials, troubleshooting shipping logistics, and hearing from customers who share their classroom wins.
Marshall loves spending time with his family in the mountains, especially on nordic skis, climbing with friends, traveling around the world and eating delicious food.
Together, we believe in the power of hands-on learning, beautiful design, and supporting educators with tools that save time and spark joy.
✨ Coco & Pearl – Designers in Training & Farm Explorers
Our daughters, Coco (13) and Pearl (10), are not just our inspiration—they are part of the creative team. Having grown up in a Montessori environment and living on a farm, they bring fresh ideas and curiosity to our material designs.
Together, we explore seasonal life lessons inspired by our farm:
- Planting and Harvesting: Learning about life cycles, food sustainability, and the beauty of nature’s rhythm.
- Caring for Animals: Understanding responsibility, empathy, and the interconnectedness of all living things.
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Exploring the Wild: Developing independence, critical thinking, and a love for adventure.
Beautiful materials
Our business is built on a foundation of over twenty years of teaching experience in traditional schools, Montessori classrooms, and the homeschool environment.
Montessori 123 offers hundreds of beautiful and affordable handmade Montessori materials designed to engage young learners in a variety of subjects based on the Montessori philosophy. Whether it's phonetic reading, landforms, history of writing, animal classification or art history, we've got something for every need and classroom.
Our materials stand apart for their vivid, full-color photographs that align with the Montessori principle of providing children with the most authentic, real-life examples possible. Our process allows us to offer extremely high-quality, glossy prints in sturdy cardstock and durable laminate.
We strive to offer personalized customer service and inspiration for you. Whether it's your classroom or home that's filled with eager learners, we work hard to grow and evolve our materials to improve your teaching experiences.
Your Time, Your Money, Your Choice
We get it—you need to save time, but sometimes you also need to save money. That's why we offer our materials in an economical choice of either high-quality printed heavy cardstock or as a digital PDF file (available for most sets) you can print yourself. Of course, we also offer all of our cardstock materials laminated (7 mil), trimmed and ready-to-use.
Payments
- We accept Paypal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and personal checks (may take 7-10 days to clear).
- We also accept school purchase orders.
- International buyers please pay using Credit Card or Paypal. We are unable to accept international money orders or checks drawn on non-US banks.
Shipping
- Shipments within the United States are made via USPS. Orders generally arrive within one week from the date the order was submitted...sometimes faster.
- PDF Digital Downloads are delivered automatically to the email address provided at checkout.
- International orders are shipped via USPS Global Priority or Airmail Parcel Post depending on the weight of the order. Delivery time is an estimated 1 to 3 weeks, however it may take longer due to customs.
How Can We Help?