Whisper her name (or sing “I’m so happy” followed by a jump and a clap) near a group of toddlers and we guarantee you’ll turn tiny heads. Known as “Ms. Rachel” to the under-five set, the YouTuber, social media personality, songwriter and educator is more than a household name to many parents: She’s a member of the family.
@msrachelforlittlesBut before she was your child’s all-time (OK, second? third?) favorite human, Rachel Griffin Accurso was a music teacher in the Bronx. She and her husband, Aron Accurso, a former associate musical director and conductor for Aladdin on Broadway, had a son. About a year later, they noticed he was behind on typical speech milestones for other babies his age, and that online resources were lacking. So she started recording videos that emphasized speech, music, visuals and sign language.
Fast-forward four years to today and Accurso’s YouTube series, Songs for Littles—produced by her and her husband plus a team of singers and actors—features music focused on language development for toddlers and infants and has over 1 billion views. Her TikTok has over 3 million followers and last year, she was interviewed on both the Today show and Good Morning America. She’s been called the Beyoncé for toddlers and the modern-day Mister Rogers. But to us (and every kid we know), she’s still just Ms. Rachel (the lifesaver).
Gestures can help propel a child’s speech development, which explains why Ms. Rachel employs clapping, waving, jumping, nodding and shaking her head in nearly every video.
