SCOTUS to hear religious preschool funding bias

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a case that will determine whether governments can exclude religious families and schools from taxpayer-funded public funding programs like Universal Preschool and school voucher programs, because of their religious practices. 

The question is far from academic. For my family, it is very personal: Our first child was already denied the Universal Preschool benefit for the 2024-2025 school year. Come fall, will our second child receive the 15 hours of free preschool that Colorado promises every child? 

When Colorado launched its supposedly universal preschool program, my husband and I were thrilled. The program was designed to give every family 15 hours of free preschool — valued by the state at around $6,000 per child — at the public or private school of their choice.

Gov. Jared Polis (D) called it “world-class” and said it would make early education more “affordable, accessible, and easier for families to navigate.” We looked forward to using the benefit at St. Mary Catholic Virtue School, our school of choice, where our 6 and 4-year-olds are learning in a beautiful, faith-filled community that enriches the values we teach at home.

But our excitement quickly turned to frustration. When it came time to implement universal preschool, state officials effectively hung a no-Catholics-need-apply sign on the door.  

Colorado’s Department of Early Childhood decided that Catholic preschools could not participate solely because they require families to support and uphold the school’s religious mission,........

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