Caregiver Support Group to host local author

Nov. 15—The local Caregiver Support Group will host local author Holly Davis during its monthly meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at Owensboro Innovation Academy.

Owensboro Public Schools Family Resource Youth Services Center Coordinator Amanda Hirtz said this is the first author reading the group has hosted.

"Holly used to work for OPS and went on to work in nonprofits and then became a parent coach teaching parenting classes at the YMCA," she said. "She wrote a book on a dog and an owl and how they can have lots of emotions. It's a great way to explain to kids how to control their emotions and a great way for caregivers to understand how their child's brain is still developing."

Davis worked as a preschool teacher for eight years and loved it. She has a masters in interdisciplinary early childhood education.

"I worked at a low-income school, and there were so many sad stories that came out of it," she said. "A lot of those children went to school to get love. I didn't teach the ABCs and 123s before I built a relationship with them."

Davis said she worked on understanding feelings and emotions with her students to create a "beautiful atmosphere" in the classroom.

"I started offering parenting nights to teach parents about what I was doing in the classroom," she said. "The parents were able to get to know each other and create bonds, and I fell in love with teaching parents."

In the middle of the academic year, Davis resigned as a teacher and began teaching parenting classes at a nonprofit for two years until she created her own LLC.

"I now have my own business called Holly Davis Coaching," she said. "I built a good network of people from my previous jobs."

The idea for her book began stewing while she was still a classroom teacher.

"While I was in the classroom, I had a student who was labeled as a 'bad kid,' " she said. "He wasn't a bad kid. He had things going on inside his brain that were making him make bad choices."

Davis said she began teaching her students about what was going on inside their brain and a lightbulb went off.

"In the book there is a wise owl named Oliver and a dog named Max," she said. "When Max is barking, that represents the emotions that take over when you 'flip your lid.' We need Oliver to be the one in charge."

After leaving the classroom, Davis said she had more time to write a book based on Oliver and Max and self-published her work on Amazon.

"I wrote the book sneakily to teach caregivers what is going on in their child's brain," she said. "It's not the kids's fault. They're not giving me a hard time, they're having a hard time. Their brains are not fully developed and won't be until they're 26 years old. Caregivers have to be the smart part of the brain for them."

Davis said the characters of Oliver and Max do a good job of teaching students what to do and what not to do, but it's also helpful for caregivers to be able to offer empathy to their children, which she said she believes is the most important part of the book.

Davis already has a few ideas for the next books in the Oliver and Max series.

"The next book in the series is going to be on empathy," she said. "There's also another one where Max learns how to use his 'big voice.' "

For Thursday's meeting, Davis said she's looking forward to having people in a room together so they can see they're not alone.

"We are going to be able to learn something from each other," she said. "I'm also passionate about teaching from my past mistakes and how I got to where I am. I used to be a screamer and a yeller, so I want this talk to be real and honest."

Hirtz said the center is working on ordering copies of the book so all families who attend the meeting can receive one for free.

The group is sponsored by the Green River Area Development District Area Agency on Aging, Family Caregiver Support Program in collaboration with the Owensboro-Daviess County Family Resource Youth Services Centers, Department of Corrections Re-Entry Branch and the Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs.

Next month's Caregiver Support Group is Dec. 15 at OIA and will be a holiday celebration with a story time by Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

For more information about Davis and her work, email her at hollydavis912@gmail.com. An RSVP is preferred to attend the event and can be made at 270-686-1159 or by emailing Hirtz at amanda.hirtz@owensboro.kyschools.us.