Dr. Harry W. Forgan Early childhood literacy initiative

Dr. Harry Forgan, Professor and Author, was born in Massillon and graduated from WHS in 1960 before beginning a lifelong journey in education.  During his career, Dr. Forgan focused on Elementary Education and Reading Specialization, publishing 12 books including four editions that were used in more than 100 universities.  One of his books, Help Your Child Learn to Read , was recommended by the American Library Association.  

His prominent career brought him many awards and honors.  A 2019 Distinguished Citizen honoree of the WHS Alumni Association, Dr. Forgan lives in Miami, FL and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Miami.  He has been an annual supporter of One Tiger, and it is our privilege to honor his legacy of helping young children learn to read by naming our local efforts the Dr. Harry W. Forgan Early Childhood Literacy Initiative.  Dr. Forgan related, "I loved growing up in Massillon.  All this began when I was born in the Massillon City Hospital on 9/21/1942 at 5:08pm!  The love of Tiger Town and the SPIRIT of the Tigers are in my HEART FOREVER!"  

This is what One Tiger is all about...

The Dr. Harry W. Forgan Early Childhood Literacy Initiative seeks to help Parents, Care Givers, and Teachers as they engage young learners.  We help in three primary areas: Skills, Tools and Support.

One Tiger wants all our children to develop a firm foundation for lifelong learning and the most crucial period of early brain development is from birth to 3 years of age.  Parents and Care Givers are the ones responsible for providing this Liftoff To Learning and there are 6 simple things that can be done on a daily basis with your child to make this a reality... namely, Sing with them, Talk to them in complete sentences, Read to them, Play with them, show them how to Write letters and words, and Rhyme to them.  These 6 things done regularly will help your child develop STaR PoWeR!

We promote the value of teaching the basic sounds of language to young children and offer a book for parents of children 4+ called My First Phonics Book to help.  This is in addition to making enrollment in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library available for free through our local library.  

You can find the enrollment form at https://www.massillonlibrary.org/imagination-library.  Enrolled children ages 0-5 receive a FREE BOOK mailed directly to them at home each month.

As children go to school, One Tiger continues to offer FREE BOOKS for a child's home library.  You can find these books throughout our community in the colorful Obie Book Boxes and via periodic book distributions in the Massillon Public Schools.  We also work with our school Principals to provide teaching aids for use in the classrooms.

Ready To Read = Ready To Succeed!  

We encourage Tiger Nation to Join Our Cause - it's part of our Massillon Heritage!