Feb 26, 2026 [[read-time]] minute read
In a world of high-speed animations and sensory-overload trends, a quiet revolution is taking place—one "ta-da!" at a time. What began in a New York living room as a mother’s quest to help her son reach developmental milestones has blossomed into a global phenomenon that is reshaping the future of children's media. Rachel Griffin-Accurso and Aron Accurso, the creative duo behind the YouTube powerhouse Ms. Rachel, have proven that you don't need a massive studio infrastructure to reach families in a meaningful way; you just need to care deeply and work hard.
With two Children’s Emmy nominations, the Accursos are bridging the gap between independent YouTube creation and major industry recognition, proving that when you prioritize what is best for children, the world—and the industry—will eventually slow down to listen.
Aron: It's such an honor to be recognized by our peers in children's media. We're very excited about the nominations. I think it means that you don't need a massive infrastructure. If you care deeply and work hard, you can reach people in a meaningful way.
Rachel: It's really meaningful to Aron and I that we can be part of so many families' lives and that we're helpful. We hope it inspires other people as well, who want to create something and really are committed to making something valuable for kids. As they say, if you imagine it, you can create it.
Aron: We're not chasing trends or trying to change what we do as we grow. We're just always striving to make a better show that can help kids.
Rachel: The things that work, we don't change. Research shows that when you're trying to help your little one with speech, that talking in a slower voice and being enthusiastic and clear is going to be helpful. Obviously we're influenced by Mr. Rogers and we love his style of talking to the kids – he's one of our heroes.
“We're not chasing trends or trying to change what we do as we grow. We're just always striving to make a better show that can help kids”
Aron Accurso
Rachel: We always incorporate what we know will help toddlers thrive. The 20 years I spent working with kids in person informs what we do, because I remember what they love or I remember what they struggled with. We also tackle things that we get feedback on from parents. It's amazing in real time to work with parents to help inform what we do. They help us create the show because we see what's working well and we get their feedback all the time to help us hone that. I never thought we'd have this relationship where we can build it with them. It’s amazing.
Aron: As parents, we put things on our show that we want our kids to learn, or that we struggled with. Also, we look at our catalog and think about what's next and how else can we serve. How else can we help? So after the idea is identified Rachel does a lot of research into best practices and how to approach the subject.
Rachel: I rigorously research because I really like understanding something on a really deep level before we tackle it. We pick what we know is going to help toddlers thrive and what's gonna help parents with tricky situations and transitions.
Aron: And then we start scripting and coming up with ideas. And often we'll write a song and we'll think about other songs we wanna put in the episode. And then we map it out with notecards and script and start filming.
Aron: It still feels like it's Rachel and Aron putting on a show in the living room. It doesn't feel that different.
Rachel: I don't go there in my head with the Mr. Rogers thing because it's too much pressure and he's a saint to me. But I do think about what a huge responsibility it is to have this platform. I do think about how seriously he took media and wanting it to be healthy for children and how important that was to him.
Aron: The guiding line for every decision we make, business or content wise, is what's best for the children. Also, we are involved in everything so we always maintain approval over things that go out so that helps ensure that the Ms. Rachel brand stays true to its roots.
Rachel: We're very careful because we really value parents' trust. We want to do things we care deeply about, like advocacy and helping kids in need.
Rachel: We’d love to share that we have some really exciting things happening with kids in Sudan and with kids in need around the world. We also talked about the idea of a movie being fun.
Aron: A lot of people have requested our music online, so we're excited about getting out albums and maybe a live performance someday. We're not thinking small.
