There’s a woman in my house every day who my toddler loves almost as much as he loves me, and her name is Ms Rachel. If you don’t spend much time with preschool-aged children, Ms Rachel – some people mistakenly say Miss, but the Ms is important, I feel – is probably not a name that will ring a bell. To parents and grandparents and other caregivers, however, she has become the closest thing that we have to a cult figure. You see, Ms Rachel is an angel, a goddess who has bestowed upon us her supreme gifts for entertaining and educating children. I have seen her referred to as “the world’s babysitter”; people jokingly offer to Venmo her cash for all the “childcare” she provides in keeping toddlers occupied. And it’s true that she has a unique talent when it comes to entrancing children, but the content she makes is so much more than that.
Ms Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso, started her Songs for Littles series of videos because she was frustrated by the lack of media resources for her son, who had a speech delay and said his first word at two years and eight months. As a public preschool music teacher with a background in music education who is married to a Broadway music director and composer, she was incredibly well placed to become the resource she knew other parents were desperately searching for. Making herself the star and donning a now-famous pair of dungarees and a pink headband, she deliberately borrowed techniques from her son’s early intervention speech therapist to create her videos. As of this week, Ms Rachel has clocked up 8.6bn total views. In short, to many of us, and our kids, she has become a superstar.
Now that we are a Ms Rachel household, I’ll admit that when I first encountered her singsong American accent, I found it quite annoying. I feel bad even typing that, because she has made a difference to so many people’s lives, ours included. The more I learned about her, though, the more I began to admire her. Everything from her slowed-down voice, to the way she enunciates the words, uses signs, builds in pauses and points at her mouth when she is speaking, is underpinned by research about language development (she is now studying for another master’s, in early years education). Speech pathologists have said that it’s as good as screen time can get.
At a time when more and more children are being diagnosed with speech delays, language disorders, and autism spectrum disorders, while crumbling services have yet to catch up, Ms Rachel is helping to bridge the gap. The UK seems to be particularly behind in its state-funded speech and language therapy provision for nursery-age children. Compared to American early intervention programmes, the lack of support is shocking. Despite us knowing that the first five years are crucial for child development, years of government underfunding and a lack of commitment to Send (special educational needs and disabilities) provision mean that speech-delayed toddlers are being abandoned just when they need help most. The current education secretary should be prioritising this as a matter of urgency.
It’s hard to overstate how much Ms Rachel has come to mean to parents and other caregivers. Modern parents say they feel more burned out and isolated than ever, and what she offers is so much more than just momentary respite from childcare. It’s no coincidence that her channel took off during the pandemic, when parents were struggling the most. I’ve lost count of the number of videos I’ve seen praising her, from people sharing their children meeting milestones thanks to her songs, to dirty jokes about her lyrics (“Put it in, put it in, put it IN. GOOD JOB!”), and pleas never to cancel her. Behind the humour, though, is a very real sentiment: she has become part of the fabric of our lives, and our children’s lives.
For children with Send and their parents, the availability of such media are doubly important. I’ll never forget the first time I came across an episode of Something Special, the CBeebies show that uses Makaton signs, speech and symbols to help children learn how to communicate and develop their language skills. I had tears streaming down my face because there was nothing like this when my autistic brother, now in his 30s and minimally verbal, could have benefited from it the most. (At least we had The Raggy Dolls, the cartoon series about “rejected” toys that encouraged empathy for disabled children.) No one is saying that screens are a replacement for proper, professional, funded speech therapy, but it’s progress.
The world feels like quite a dark place at the moment, and I hope I won’t sound too schmaltzy when I say that, if you’re looking around for signs of hope, you could do worse than Ms Rachel. This year, she’s been raising money for children in Gaza by making cameo videos for her tiny fans and through her work as an ambassador for Save the Children. She’s faced abuse and backlash for tearfully condemning the starvation of Palestinian children, and has had to turn off comments on her social media channels. She has just announced that she will be providing 200,000 meals through World Food Program USA. Somehow, she also finds the time to also upload encouraging little videos for adults about the power of saying no, or telling you you are worthy of love. It could all be a bit nauseating in its loveliness, but somehow it isn’t. In difficult times, it’s inspiring to reflect on her determination to be a force for good by helping kids across the world.
What’s working
My son’s love of his classical music books mean we are running though cell batteries like nobody’s business. They’re such dangerous hazards for children if swallowed that, even though they’re out of reach, I feel a bit weird having them in the house, so I was pleased to see that Energizer has designed a new lithium coin that not only tastes bitter, but releases a blue dye when it comes into contact with moisture such as saliva, so that medical attention can be sought immediately if needed. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be available in the UK yet but I am hoping they will be soon, as they can and will save lives.
What’s not
The weather is getting colder and my toddler is steadfastly refusing to wear a hat. At least he’s happy to put a coat on, though, so the unsolicited comments from strangers are minimal. There’s a reason a photo of a mother holding a sign that reads: “MY CHILDREN HAVE COATS BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO WEAR THEM RIGHT NOW” keeps going viral.
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist
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