Faith Deserves Fairness

Universal Preschool Program at the Supreme Court

What if the government told you that it was creating a “universal” preschool funding program to allow families to pick the best preschool for them—public, private, or faith-based—but excluded your child simply because you chose a Catholic preschool? 

Every parent wants the best for their child. For many families, providing a quality preschool education requires substantial financial sacrifices. To help parents shoulder this burden, Colorado created a “universal” preschool funding program that offers families around $6,300 per year to send their four-year-old to the public or private preschool of their choice.  

This preschool tuition assistance would have been a huge blessing for Dan and Lisa Sheley, working-class parents who are raising their seven children in the Catholic faith. They hoped to use this “universal” funding for their children’s preschool education at St. Mary’s, their parish preschool. But state officials refused their request for one simple reason: their parish preschool upholds millennia-old Catholic values. The Sheleys are not alone. Colorado’s exclusion of Catholic preschools has left thousands of families out in the cold, forced to choose between their faith and what was supposed to be a “universal” government benefit. 

What’s at Stake

By excluding Catholic preschools from its “universal” preschool funding program, Colorado is denying thousands of families access to a public benefit that is supposed to be available to everyone. Catholic families and schools are asking the Supreme Court to stop the State’s religious discrimination and ensure equal access to this government benefit for all people of all faiths.