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Ms. Rachel

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Ms. Rachel
Personal information
Born
Rachel Griffin

(1982-11-30) November 30, 1982 (age 41)
Biddeford, Maine, United States
Education
Occupations
  • YouTuber
  • social media personality
  • educator
SpouseAron Accurso
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2019–present
Genres
Subscribers12 million[1]
(October 26, 2024)
Total views8.29 billion[1]
(October 26, 2024)
Contents are inEnglish
100,000 subscribers2021
1,000,000 subscribers2022
10,000,000 subscribers2024
Last updated: October 26, 2024

Rachel Anne Accurso[2] (née Griffin),[a] better known as Ms. Rachel, is an American YouTuber, social media personality, songwriter, and educator. She is best known for creating the YouTube series Songs for Littles, a children's music series focused on language development for toddlers and infants.

Life and career

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Early life

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Accurso was born in Biddeford, Maine and raised in Sanford, Maine. She attended Sanford High School, where she did theatre, and the University of Southern Maine.[8] She earned a master's degree in music education from New York University in 2016[9] and worked as a music teacher at a public preschool in New York City before starting her YouTube channel.[10] As of 2023, she is pursuing a second master's degree in early childhood education.[11]

Internet career

[edit]

Accurso started her YouTube channel in 2019 under the name Ms. Rachel with her husband, Broadway music director and composer Aron Accurso; they created the channel in response to the lack of media resources for her son who had a speech delay and did not say his first word until he was two years old.[12][10] She created Songs for Littles, a children's music YouTube series made up of a combination of classic children's songs, such as nursery rhymes, and original music for toddlers and infants.[13] It was originally started as an in-person class led by Accurso and was inspired by the techniques of her son's early childhood intervention speech therapist with a focus on language development milestones and inclusive subject matter.[12][10][14] The channel became especially popular starting in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has over ten million subscribers as of 2024.[15]

Songs for Littles features Accurso as the star, with her signature outfit of a pink shirt with overalls and a headband,[16] alongside diverse cast and crew members including actress and teacher Keisha Gilles, diversity and inclusion consultant Alexa Smith, speech therapist Frida Matute, animator and editor Beth Jean, singer-songwriter Jules Hoffman,[16] actress Natalie Kaye Clater, and Accurso's husband Aron, the last of whom writes and arranges music for the series and operates two puppet characters named Georgie and Herbie.[10][14][11] Accurso also became popular on TikTok as Ms. Rachel, where she had over two and a half million followers by March 2023.[10][17] Accurso took a break from TikTok in February 2023, citing her mental health.[12] The break was assumed by fans to be in response to backlash from some parents on the platform against Accurso's co-star Jules Hoffman for using they/them pronouns.[17] That same month, Accurso returned to TikTok while she and Songs for Littles were signed to Creative Artists Agency.[16][11] In June 2024, Accurso received backlash and a boycott campaign from conservatives after she posted a video on TikTok wishing viewers a happy Pride Month.[18]

Accurso announced a fundraising campaign in a video published in May 2024 to her TikTok and Instagram accounts. She offered to make videos on Cameo, a website that allows users to pay for a personalized video with a message of their choice, with all revenue from the videos going to Save the Children's emergency fund, mentioning the Gaza Strip, Sudan, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[4] In a couple of hours, she had raised over $50,000 from 500 Cameo requests, which she later paused to record the requested videos.[4] Accurso stated that she was bullied online for the matter, stating that she cares "deeply for all children".[19] She soon disabled comments on her YouTube and Instagram accounts.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Sources conflict on Ms. Rachel's full name: it is reported as either Rachel Griffin Accurso[3][4] or Rachel Accurso.[5][6][7] This article uses the Rachel Griffin Accurso name in the lead for consistency.

References

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  1. ^ a b "About Ms Rachel - Toddler Learning Videos". YouTube.
  2. ^ Accurso, Rachel (15 August 2024). Ms Rachel & Elmo Get Ready For School - ABC Song, Numbers, Colors - Toddler & Preschool Learning. Event occurs at 24:31. My middle name is Anne. My full name is Rachel Anne Accurso.
  3. ^ Ushe, Naledi. "Ms. Rachel addresses backlash after wishing fans a 'Happy Pride'". USA Today. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Karimi, Faith (22 May 2024). "This popular YouTuber launched a campaign to help kids in Gaza and other conflict zones. Then came the angry comments". CNN. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  5. ^ Monteil, Abby (4 June 2024). "Kids' YouTuber Ms. Rachel Said "Happy Pride" and the Right-Wing Tantrums Commenced". Them. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  6. ^ Silberling, Amanda (5 June 2024). "Cameo fumbles on Ms. Rachel fundraiser as fans receive credits instead of videos". TechCrunch. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  7. ^ Cohen, Danielle (17 May 2024). "Why Are People Mad About Ms. Rachel's Save the Children Campaign?". The Cut. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  8. ^ Goldberg, Lee (April 10, 2023). "Former Maine teacher 'Ms Rachel' posts educational videos for the masses". News Center Maine. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  9. ^ "2024 Dorothy Height Distinguished Alumni Award Honoree: Rachel Griffin-Accurso (MA '16) | NYU Steinhardt". steinhardt.nyu.edu. 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  10. ^ a b c d e Hanson, Kait (December 7, 2022). "Who is Ms. Rachel and why are your kids obsessed with her?". Today. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Hailu, Selome (March 7, 2023). "Ms. Rachel and 'Songs for Littles' Sign With CAA". Variety. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Hogan, Kate (March 3, 2023). "Internet Sensation Ms. Rachel on Her Break from TikTok: 'Self-Care Is Important'". People. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Thompson Payton, L'Oreal (October 19, 2022). "Screen time may not be as bad for children as previously thought". Fortune. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Borresen, Kelsey (December 8, 2022). "12 Kids' TV Shows That Experts Let Their Own Children Watch". HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Jones, CT (March 10, 2023). "A Kids YouTuber Uses They/Them Pronouns. Some Parents Just Found Out -- And Lost Their Minds". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c Hanson, Kait (March 7, 2023). "Ms. Rachel returns to social media with honest message about 'boundaries'". Today. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Sung, Morgan (March 2, 2023). "Viral kids' star Ms. Rachel is taking a break from social media after backlash over co-star who uses they/them pronouns". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Delgado, Sam (June 6, 2024). "The backlash against children's YouTuber Ms Rachel, explained". Vox. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Tolentino, Daysia (17 May 2024). "Viral kids creator Ms. Rachel says she experienced bullying after fundraising for children in Gaza". NBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
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