Marj Horton

Marj Horton is the Program Director for the Intercultural Montessori Teacher Education Institute, a branch of the Philadelphia Chinese Academy, founded to prepare college graduates to become Montessori teachers. Marj also teaches English language activities, part time, in the Early Childhood classroom and serves as the Education Director for PCA.

Marj holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Cornell University and an M.A. in Teaching of Science from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. After marrying and working as a high school chemistry teacher, Marj was blessed with four children, who went on to attend Montessori schools. Marj earned her AMI Montessori early childhood credential at the Assumption Montessori Training Center in Philadelphia, following her children’s example. She later attended Temple University in the Early Childhood doctoral program, completing all but her dissertation.

Over the forty plus years Marj has devoted to Montessori early childhood education, she has held a variety of positions including Montessori EC teacher, founder and owner of a Montessori school, adjunct professor and director of Chestnut Hill College’s Montessori program, Education Coordinator for Philadelphia’s Manna Head Start Program, Division Director for Ken Crest Service’s Early Intervention Suburban Division, founder, director and instructor for three Montessori teacher education institutes, founder and director of an Early Head Start Program in the Lehigh Valley, and Head of School for several Montessori schools.

In 2022, the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, bestowed on Marj “The Wisdom of the Elders Award” in recognition of her leadership throughout the Montessori Community as an educator, writer and innovator.

In her spare time, Marj likes to visit her children, grandchildren and great grandchild, walk her dog Rory, read autobiographies, and play Wordle and RummieCube.