Ms. Rachel's Newest Role? Ambassador for 'Save the Children'

In our exclusive interview, the 'Songs for Littles' YouTube star talks about how much this means to her.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

We all know how awesome Ms. Rachel is. But seeing her walk into a room full of toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents takes it to a whole other level. The "Songs For Littles" creator and star was in New York City on September 8, 2023 for a huge announcement—Ms. Rachel (aka Rachel Griffin Accurso) is now the latest ambassador to join the non-profit Save the Children.

Her YouTube channel "Songs For Littles" has more than six million subscribers. She's touched so many lives by helping little ones with speech development, teaching preschool skills, and entertaining children along the way. But with her new title, Accurso will be able to help even more children around the world.

Working with Save the Children

The mission of Save the Children is just as it sounds—to save children's lives. The focus is on health, education, protection, poverty, advocacy, and emergency response. Save the Children works to help give children the safe and healthy start in life that they deserve and respond when children are in crisis and are at their most vulnerable. One example of this is the work they do during natural disasters.

Ambassadors help to advance Save the Children's mission. They are often artists, celebrities, and influencers who advocate for children in various ways. Ms. Rachel joins a list of names including Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Enrique Iglesias, and Camila Cabello—just to name a few.

In an exclusive interview with Parents, Accurso says she's honored to join this roster of amazing ambassadors. "I've always been passionate about advocating for children's rights and being an ambassador is a wonderful opportunity to do that in partnership with an organization with a record of success, directly serving children around the world," she says.

At the announcement event in New York, the President and CEO of Save the Children Janti Soeripto told Parents it was Accurso's passion for early childhood education that made her a natural to be the organization's next ambassador.

"It's fantastic to have somebody who's so passionate about kids, who deeply understands the importance of early education which of course we care so deeply about in the United States but also the world," Soeripto says.

Soeripto also recognizes the organization's need to adapt to the ever-changing, modern landscape. "Save the Children—we've been around for over 100 years, but I think for us to continue to be relevant and to be reaching the right audiences through different channels with different kinds of celebrities and ambassadors like Ms. Rachel is incredibly important for us," she explains.

Focus on Early Childhood Education

Accurso's focus as a Save the Children ambassador will be on her passion—early childhood education. "Making sure that all children have access to early learning is so important to me and that's exactly why I started the show. I wanted to help deliver skills and techniques for early learning to anyone who could watch online," Accurso says.

In October 2021, about 63 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in school overall. The enrollment rate was higher for 5-year-olds than for 3- to 4-year-olds (86 vs. 50 percent). For both age groups, enrollment rates were lower than they had been in October 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic. A closer examination of the changes in enrollment rates over time shows the following:

"Ninety percent of their brain development happens by age five and getting them early childhood education is proven to help them have success their whole life," explains Accurso. "I just think it's so important that no matter where you live, no matter how much money you have, you have that access."

"I just think it's so important that no matter where you live, no matter how much money you have, you have that access [to early education]."

Rachel Accurso

Accurso has already been involved in programs through Save the Children. She's promoted a campaign called Make Summer Fair, which helps get books to kids living in rural communities over the summer as well as help provide meals. Now that she's an Ambassador, Accurso is looking to get more involved in some of Save the Children's core programs. One is called KinderBoost which is a two-week program over the summer that helps kids get ready for kindergarten.

Another year-round program is Save the Children's Early Steps to School Success. "It helps parents with being their kid's first teacher and initiating learning and development activities, which is something we also are so passionate about with our show," Accurso says. "We try to help parents and kids simultaneously by teaching them different techniques and ideas for play."

The Early Steps to School Success program focuses on providing "high-quality early childhood development services to children ages 0-5 and their families in 14 states."

These are all programs Soeripto says she hopes Accurso will be able to take part in. "I would certainly be interested to have her look at some of our early education work that we're doing particularly in rural America," she explains. "It'll be really interesting to get Ms. Rachel's take on the content we're providing there and [use] her ability to reach kids even if it's hard to do so in person. So I think there's a host of opportunities we can be looking at with her."

Accurso's involvement with Save the Children won't stop at the U.S. border either. "Her reach is global," adds Soeripto. "Our work that we do globally is actually quite similar to what we do in the United States around early education in particular."

It's definitely something Accurso is open to. "Children deserve to have these rights met and it's so important that all children in the world have the fundamental right to education. And I want to be involved as much as I can," she says.

Ms. Rachel's Impact on Children

When you talk to Accurso, you immediately get the sense of just how invested she is in bettering the lives of children. I asked her if when she started "Songs for Littles" whether she ever thought she'd be where she is today. You could just feel her emotion come through her words.

"No, no. And it brings me to tears," she describes. "I was praying the other night. I was thanking God for letting me be Ms. Rachel. I just started crying because I was so happy. I'm still in shock."

"I was praying the other night. I was thanking God for letting me be Ms. Rachel."

Rachel Accurso

She told me a story about an email she received from a pediatrician. It was about a child in the hospital without a family. But, the doctor said in the email, that the child was making such great progress due to Ms. Rachel's videos. The pediatrician ended by thanking her for being there for the child.

"I was like, we're not even there really, but I can't believe that the videos are helping this little guy. And I have those emails saved to my desktop," Accurso says. She says getting emails like those is what keeps her pushing forward with her work.

Her profound impact on children will make Accurso an amazing advocate for Save the Children. After the big announcement, Accurso performed for a roomful of eagerly awaiting children and their parents along with her husband Aron on keyboard and Simon Kafka on guitar.

The kids were singing and dancing, their faces lit with pure joy, mesmerized by Ms. Rachel. The children sang classic songs and their Ms. Rachel favorites, including "Icky Sticky Bubble Gum." During the meet-and-greet portion, a toddler who couldn't have been older than 18 months ran up to Ms. Rachel and gave her the biggest hug.

"I'm really passionate about just every child or I just want every child to have the things they need to thrive. Like healthy foods, a place to live, an opportunity to learn, and a safe community," Accurso reiterates. "I'm so excited to join an organization that's helping so many little ones, and I'm so excited to see what we can do. These opportunities are why I want to be Ms. Rachel."

The opportunities seem endless for Ms. Rachel and her mission to educate the youngest minds. She's already collaborated with Blippi for crossover episodes. And we're hearing about some more exciting collaborations in her future. As they say, stay tuned.

Related: Here's What Black Parents Need in a Preschool, According to a Mom and Early Childhood Education Expert

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