Pre-Kindergarten
Program Overview
Interested in one of our Bar-T Pre-Kindergarten Programs?
Our locations include Belmont ES (Olney), Matsunaga ES (Germantown), Thurgood Marshall ES (Gaithersburg), and Mountainside (Urbana).
To register for our Pre-K Program at Thurgood Marshall, please contact Director Renee Dorsey at rdorsey@bar-t.com or give us a call at 1 (301) 370-7731. You can register for our other locations at registration.bar-t.com.
Bar-T’s Pre-Kindergarten Program is designed to provide a high quality, creative, hands-on, child-centered learning environment for children. For the 2025-2026 school year, students must be 4 years old by September 1st, 2025 and fully toilet trained. If your child is close in age to the cut-off, please email help@bar-t.com to inquire about availability.
The Bar-T staff are committed and experienced professionals who provide children with a caring and stimulating atmosphere. They listen carefully and respond quickly to the needs of each child. Our teachers are certified in Early Childhood Instruction. Each class has one assistant who is trained to aid children in their learning experiences. We are dedicated to positively contributing to a child’s life.
The rooms at our sites are safe, inviting, attractive and well equipped with a wide variety of multi-sensory materials. We provide opportunities for each child to have new and unique educational experiences, think and problem-solve, dream and imagine. We always strive to create a spontaneous classroom where children have opportunities for activity and choice. We believe a child will learn best as he or she interacts with others, using concrete objects, and sharing real experiences.
Early Registration for the 2026–2027 School Year
We will be opening early Pre-K registration for the 2026 – 2027 school year beginning December 15, 2025.
Families wishing to secure a Pre-K space early may follow the temporary registration steps below while our full registration system for next year is being prepared.
How to Register Early:
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Visit registration.bar-t.com
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Log in or create an account
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Select your desired Pre-K location
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When prompted for a start date, choose June 2026
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(This allows the registration to process even though our system is still tied to the current school year.)
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Submit your registration
After you register, our team will update your child’s enrollment so the official start date reflects the first day of school in August 2026.
Fees to Secure Your Space
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$100 non-refundable registration fee
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$250 non-refundable deposit (applied to your first month’s tuition)
Your next payment won’t be due until August 15, 2026.
2026 – 2027 Pricing
We are keeping our current Belmont, Matsunaga, and Mountainside Pre-K tuition rates for the 2026 – 2027 school year.
Thurgood Marshall Pre-K rates will be updated in February 2026.
Official Registration Launch
Our full registration system for Kids Club + Pre-K will go live in March 2026 at registration.bar-t.com.
Still Accepting Current-Year Enrollment
We are still accepting enrollments for the 2025 – 2026 school year on a rolling basis as space allows.
Our Pre-K Curriculum
Our curriculum is based on the guidelines of the Creative Curriculum, nationally known for its forward-thinking model. It focuses on meeting the needs of individual children, while honoring and respecting the role that teachers play in making learning engaging and meaningful for every child. The Creative Curriculum focuses on the following developmental domains:
- Personal and Social
- Language and Literacy
- Mathematical Thinking
- Scientific Thinking
- Social Studies
- The Arts
- Physical Development and Health
Sample Activities
- Open Centers for Skill Development
- Morning Class Meeting
- Movement and Music
- Small-Group Activities
- Independent Choice Learning Centers
- Snack
- Outdoor Play
- Story Time
- Lunch
- Quiet/Rest Time
- Afternoon Round-up
Dates & Rates
Our Belmont, Matsunaga, and Thurgood Bar-T Pre-Kindergarten Programs follow the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) calendar; however, these locations remain open during professional days, winter break, and spring break.
Our Mountainside Bar-T Pre-Kindergarten Program follows the FCPS calendar and is closed when FCPS schools are closed, including breaks and snow days. No Pre-K classroom instruction is provided on FCPS closure days.
Pre-K students enrolled in extended hours at Mountainside Kids Club (7:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m.) may attend Bar-T MAC on FCPS closure days for a full day of activities and will be grouped with kindergarten-aged children. Drop-in care may also be available for Pre-K students not enrolled in daily wrap-around care, subject to availability.
While our teachers provide instruction every day, we understand that each family’s needs are unique. We have a variety of options when it comes to the days you’d like your child to attend and the length of the day. Reach out to help@bar-t.com to create your own schedule that best fits your family’s needs.
Pre-Kindergarten programs are 5 days/week and families have an option of which hours their child can attend each day:
The below rates are for both the current 2025-2026 school year and the upcoming 2026-2027 school year:
Belmont & Matsunaga (2025-2026) rates:
- – 6:30 PM ($1,525/month)
Thurgood Marshall (2025-2026) rates:
- – 6:30 PM ($1,725/month)
Mountainside (MAC) (2025-2026) rates:
- – 6:30 PM ($1,300/month)
For more information on our Mountainside Pre-K Program in Urbana, MD please click here.
Need help registering? Visit our “How to Register Page” for more information.
Registration
To register for our Pre-K Programs at Belmont ES, Matsunaga ES, or Mountainside please visit registration.bar-t.com. After registering, our Bar-T Accounts Team will contact you to confirm your enrollment.
- You’ll need to create an online account, select your desired location under “Pre-Kindergarten”, input your desired plan (hours) for your child.
Early Registration for 2026–2027
Early registration for the 2026–2027 Pre-K school year opens December 15, 2025.
Families who wish to secure a spot early may follow these temporary steps:
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Visit registration.bar-t.com and log in or create an account
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Select your preferred Pre-K location
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Choose a June 2026 start date (required for early processing)
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Submit your registration
Our team will update all early registrations to reflect the official August 2026 start date once processed.
Fees:
$100 registration fee + $250 deposit (applied to first month’s tuition).
No additional payments until August 15, 2026.
We will maintain our current Belmont, Matsunaga, and Mountainside Pre-K tuition rates for the 2026 – 2027 school year.
Official registration for Kids Club + Pre-K launches March 4th, 2026.
We are still accepting 2025 – 2026 enrollments on a rolling basis as space allows.
To register for our Pre-K Program at Thurgood Marshall, please contact Director Renee Dorsey at rdorsey@bar-t.com or 1 (301) 370-7731 with any questions.
Need help registering? Visit our “How to Register Page” for more information.
Have you found your Pre-K class?
While we’d love to have a Bar-T program at every elementary school, we’re not quite there yet. Check our School Programs Directory to see if we have a program nearby for your child. If we don’t, click the link to find out how to get Bar-T at your school!
See What Everyone Is Saying…
The teachers at Bar-T is what makes sending my child to child care so easy. I feel at ease knowing the teachers are trained and knowledgeable about the children and their needs. The teachers communicate well and the entire center makes us feel like family. I trust them fully and are grateful for them every day. I know my son will always be loved, cared for and learning.
When I walked into Bar-T it just felt warm, inviting and great place for my children to learn and grow. As a father of twins I know the challenges of meeting the needs of more than one child at a time. Watching the teachers do this with grace everyday and with more than two children is remarkable. I can’t imagine doing what these teachers do every day! I know that my children are loved and cared for by their happy disposition when we go to the center and when I pick them up. I am so lucky to have Bar-T!
Bar-T has made our son excited about the learning process. The daily stimulating and enriching activities has taken his development to the next level. The sensitivity, affection, and respect given to him and our newborn are invaluable and it’s a wonderful feeling to know they are safe and being cared for with so much love.
