by Katie Whitehead, Director, The Preschool at Christ the King

One of my favorite things about being a part of The Preschool at Christ the King is experiencing first-hand how God brought each and every teacher to be a part of this amazing program.

Catie Brow is one of those people who makes you feel like you’ve known her forever. A sister-friend! I actually met her with my sister, Carol DeShong, back in the HCC days of Christ the King when Catie’s little Annie-Brow (pronounced as one word) was just a tiny toddler with a big bow! Carol and I recruited Catie to take over the reign of chairing VBS and became friends for life! I could never have dreamed of the possibility to work side by side with Catie fifteen years later to build and create what is now The Preschool at Christ the King!

With years of experience in the classroom, Catie brings to our program not only her expertise but also her passion for teaching and her devotion to children. She is the only person I know who can lovingly spend hours researching the perfect shade and scent to tint her home-made playdough that she makes from scratch every month and then wraps it up as a gift to go home with our preschoolers. November playdough was a “chestnut brown colored dough with a hot cocoa scent”; and December will be “forest green and holiday red, scented with spearmint and peppermint” because according to Catie, “December is just too fun not to have two colors!” You cannot help but smile when you watch her face light up as she searches through a discount book sale, or describes how you can add wrapping paper and scissors to the discovery table, and explains things like “process art” tree painting with pine needles, “book buddies” for the library and seasonal cookie cutters! But as with the rest of our team, Catie’s finest moments are when she is sitting next to one of our little ones, watching, caring or praying with them and listening to their story. Here is some insight into who Catie is and why she is such an amazing teacher and a blessing to have on our team!

Where did you grow up?  Where does your family live now?

I grew up in Sugar Land.  After living in Houston for a long time, we moved out to Sugar Land 6 years ago with our 3 girls. So we’re back where I started!

Are you named after anyone? How did you get your name?

My first name is actually Cateline. I was named after my grandmother and my middle name is Ann after my great Aunt. It is precious to carry on the names of two very special women in my mother’s life.

What was your favorite thing to do or play with as a child?

I loved playing teacher and mommy. I still love both of those things today!

What do you remember about your first years of Preschool or school?

My first memory of school is Kindergarten. My teacher was Mrs. Matthews and she had these amazing blow up alphabet letters. I loved her and her sweet, kind spirit and I thought those alphabet letters were the best thing ever!

How did you meet your husband?

I actually met Paul in the 4th grade, but I remember 6th grade much better. We sat next to each other in English and would race to see who could finish their work first. We started dating my Sophmore year in high school. Our first date was on New Year’s Eve in 1989.

What are your children’s names and ages?

We have three wonderful girls.  Annie is 18, Lily is 15, and Molly is 12.

What do your children say about having you be a teacher at The Preschool?

They enjoy seeing pictures of the children and hearing about what we’re doing. They all had suggestions for books that we had to be sure to have in our library as we were building it. Books were big in our house when they were little. We did a lot of reading!

What is your favorite meal to cook at your house?

Each of my kids have a different favorite meal, but chocolate chip cookies come to my mind first as something everyone loves. I have made that family recipe so many times that I don’t need to look at the recipe to make them. There are 3 stages of eating them – a spoonful of cookie dough, a hot cookie right out of the oven, and a cool one later.

What do you love to do when you are not at The Preschool?

My time is filled with being a mom and I love it.  I’ve always enjoyed reading when I get the chance and I love spending time with my family!

What led you to answer the call to be a part of building the Preschool at Christ the King?

I love children and I love teaching.  And I absolutely loved Katie’s vision for this precious preschool.  It is so exciting to be a part of building this school. What a gift! Getting to create a nurturing environment where children can grow and explore is so incredible. And being part of a team everyday that loves Jesus, children, and each other is amazing.

What is one word that other people would use to describe you?

I hope they would say I was kind. We need more kindness in the world. I hope that I’m a good listener too.

What is your prayer for this ministry? And how can we pray specifically for you

My prayer would be that children and their families are deeply nurtured and loved here - that they feel the love of Jesus in this place.  I pray that this precious preschool is a light to everyone in it and near it.