The Bar-T Story
A frequent question that we get is, “What does Bar-T stand for?”
“Bar-T” actually comes from the last name of the original owner of Bar-T Ranch, Ed Barton. Mr. Barton was a coach at the Landon School and founded the Bar-T Ranch as a summer camp for boys in 1961. He wanted to use his family name, so he took the first four letters of his last name and landed on “The Bar-T Ranch.”
Many years later, a Kindergarten boys counselor rode the same bus route as an Arts & Crafts instructor and a camp romance began to form. Yes, Joe Sr. and Nancy met at Bar-T Ranch and were married a few years later. When Ed Barton wanted to sell the camp and retire in 1983, he went straight to the couple that he knew loved the place the most. Nancy, a teacher, and Joe, a salesman, excitedly bought the Ranch and knew they were in for an adventure. They moved their young family from Annapolis to Gaithersburg and the rest is history!
While it all started with a summer camp, Bar-T Kids Club began in the Fall of 1985 when one of the Ranch’s neighboring elementary schools reached out in search of a new approach to before & after school care. Nancy and Joe accepted the challenge and quickly created an environment in which the children could participate in activities that were fun, educational, and enriching. They didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for children who needed to attend an after-school program. Instead, they worked on designing a program that was more club-like during the off school hours and one that children looked forward to joining.
Since then, Bar-T Kids Club has grown to serve school age children in over 35 schools across Montgomery and Frederick counties, including 4 programs that provide Pre-Kindergarten classes and 2 programs that offer Early Childhood programming. Bar-T’s summer camps have grown to include seven school-based Kids Camps, the Excursion Team travel camp, and Mountainside Challenge & Retreat Center and Summer Camp which was launched in 2006. Mountainside’s environmentally friendly facility is situated on 115-acres of farmland in Urbana, Maryland and is just minutes from I-270.
Our mission, our philosophy and the Bar-T culture all guide our staff to respect each of the kids and adults that participates in our programs as individuals, working to provide meaningful choices throughout all aspects of our programs. We go beyond creating environments that help to ensure both physical and emotional safety by listening, showing respect and helping each member of our community remember that they are of great worth.
After thirty years of running the family business, Nancy and Joe Sr. retired and their son Joe now leads the Bar-T team. Joe, not to be confused with his father (Joe Sr.), unofficially began working for Bar-T when his parents kicked him off of the Super Nintendo at the age of 11. While he began his career helping out on the ropes course at Waredaca, Joe ran Mountainside Summer Camp and Summer Camp Operations for a number of years before taking on the role of CEO. He is now raising the next generation of Bar-T leaders, his children Dagny and Frankie, in the blue house at Bar-T Ranch in Laytonsville.
Though quite a lot has changed over the years, Bar-T began as a summer camp and that DNA forms the core values we still adhere to. We believe that play helps children grow, we believe that time spent outdoors is never wasted, and we know that the memories made at Bar-T are some of the best a child can have.
We appreciate your taking the time to visit us online. We understand that making the right choice for your child, your family, or your business is important. We are extremely proud of the programs that we have developed over the years and hope that our website provides you with much of the information that you need to make an informed decision. We encourage you to go beyond the content of our website and contact us to speak with one of our Directors or arrange a visit to any one of our programs to experience firsthand what makes Bar-T a great choice!