If your children are 4 and under, like many parents, you may catch yourself singing or humming along to the music of the hugely popular YouTube sensation, Ms. Rachel.
Toddlers, babies, and parents alike are flocking to her channel for simple yet educational songs.
Ms. Rachel’s full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso. She is a talented singer, songwriter, and educator with an incredibly popular and lucrative YouTube channel that is designed to aid language development in babies and toddlers through demonstration, music, and repetition.
You will find more information about who she is and her mission in the following article.
What Is Ms. Rachel’s Real Name?
Ms. Rachel’s full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso.
How Old Is Ms. Rachel?
Ms. Rachel was born in November 1980, which makes her 42 years old at the time of this writing.
Is Ms. Rachel Married?
Ms. Rachel is married to Aron Accurso. He is a member of her cast and band on her Youtube Channel.
Ms. Rachel Husband
Aron Accurso is a director for the Broadway production of Aladdin. He also assists Ms. Rachel in the production and musical arrangements for Songs for Littles.
Aron Accurso is responsible for all of the puppet handling on the show as well.
Is Ms. Rachel a Preschool Teacher?
Ms. Rachel was previously a preschool teacher in NYC, specializing in teaching music classes to babies and toddlers.
How Much Does Ms. Rachel Make?
Ms. Rachel’s net worth is estimated to be around 10 million dollars. Her YouTube channel can bring in anywhere between $29,000 to $445,600 based on ad revenue.
She has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube alone, which creates a lot of traffic for ads.
Ms. Rachel’s Songs for Littles
Rachel Accurso got her idea for her YouTube channel when her son was diagnosed with a speech delay.
She had been working as a music teacher for babies and toddlers but saw a need for a channel that helps toddlers develop their language in an educational way.
Her goal is to help children learn language and words with close-up shots of her mouth as well as pauses for children to practice speaking after she speaks.
Songs for Littles has over 102 videos on the channel designed for toddlers and babies.
Songs for Littles Cast
Ms. Rachel has several team members who help make Songs for Littles so popular.
Aron Accurso
Ms. Rachel’s husband does the voice of puppet Herbie as well as helps with the overall production of the show. He is also a Broadway director of several hit shows.
Beth Jean
Beth Jean has earned awards and recognition for her own original songs and media designed for children. She does the animating and editing for Songs for Littles.
Jules
Jules is a singer/songwriter as well as a teacher at a private school in New York City.
Jules has worked in many different genres of music and performs with Ms. Rachel on Songs for Littles.
Natalie Kaye Clater
Natalie is an experienced singer and performer. She has worked in both television and Broadway.
Frida Matute
Frida is a very accomplished educator and speech-language pathologist. Renowned in her field, Frida has founded a preschool and private practice to help children navigate the learning of language more effectively.
Alexa Smith
Alexa Smith works for Songs for Littles to help provide strategies for inclusion and diversity. Ms. Rachel has stated she wants every child to see themselves represented in their show, and Alexa aids in that endeavor.
Keisha Gilles
Keisha is an actor with several Broadway performances under her belt. She is also a teaching artist who performs on Songs for Littles.
Is Ms. Rachel Good for Babies?
Ms. Rachel and her team certainly market videos for babies, and they are incredibly popular.
However, every major medical-governing board for children, including the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the use of screens for kids under 2.
Babies learn best through interaction with their caregivers rather than through a screen.
Is Ms. Rachel Good for Toddlers?
Songs for Littles employs speech-language education methods that could be good for toddlers.
Ms. Rachel often shows close-ups of her mouth to allow toddlers to see how her mouth forms words and sounds. She also pauses for children to respond and practice themselves.
Ms. Rachel uses techniques used by speech pathologists. This could be a good way to supplement your toddler’s learning, but nothing beats interacting with your toddler one on one.
What Age Group Is Songs for Littles For?
Songs for Littles is designed for children 4 years old and younger.
When Are Children Too Old for Songs for Littles?
Because Songs for Littles is made for kids in preschool, once a child has started elementary school, they might not find Songs for Littles as helpful or engaging.
Why Is Ms. Rachel So Popular?
Ms. Rachel writes songs that are catchy but also educational. Many parents who have children with speech delays rave about Ms. Rachel and how she has helped their children.
Kids under 4 are drawn to the videos without being overstimulated, and parents feel better about allowing screen time when it can serve an educational purpose.
Why Do Babies Love Ms. Rachel?
The videos for babies on Songs for Littles feature Ms. Rachel up close and personal.
Babies can see her in bright colors and using motions that they grasp better than an animated tv show. Ms. Rachel also employs a lot of repetition that babies find engaging.
Does Ms. Rachel Help With Speech?
Ms. Rachel and her team set out to help kids develop speech and language.
However, there has been no research done or data produced to scientifically prove that Ms. Rachel and Songs for Littles help with speech. Nonetheless, many parents rave that her work has helped their children.
What Does Ms. Rachel Teach?
Ms. Rachel has a background in music education. Her YouTube channel is designed to create “toddler learning videos and baby learning videos that help children learn to talk, learn letters, numbers, colors, animal sounds and more.”
Benefits of Music in Early Childhood
A 2016 study from the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that music in early childhood “can assist and accelerate brain development.”
Music can help with reading skills and language development especially. Research has also shown that learning to play an instrument can help kids grasp mathematics better and even raise SAT scores.
Can Babies Learn From Videos?
Screens and education videos have not been found helpful for babies under 18 months.
Babies need to learn language and facial expressions from the world around them, and the screen is not a good substitute for that.
Are Educational Videos Good For Babies?
The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the use of screens for children under 18 months and advises only very limited, supervised screen time for toddlers older than that.
Educational videos designed for children don’t allow children to explore the physical world around them. The AAP also says that screen time in children this young could affect their sleep and the ability to pay attention.
Screen Time for Babies
Experts highly discourage the use of screens for babies under 18 months. They recommend that screens be used very limitedly for toddlers younger than 2.
Babies need to see faces up close and learn their world through their senses. Screens do not provide the same education.
Closing Thoughts
There’s no doubt about it; Ms. Rachel and Songs for Littles are a phenomenon. With almost 100 million views, parents are thrilled with the content Ms. Rachel provides.
Her educational videos are designed to be helpful in language development and language acquisition.
However, her videos are still using a screen as a means to educate children, which is something parents need to be cautious about.
Ms. Rachel’s videos are certainly popular, but parents should still aim for moderation in screen time for younger children.
As a twin mom herself, Nikki is passionate about helping moms and twin parents learn how to manage their chaos better. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing Marriage and Family Therapy.