Mayor Mamdani chose a District 2 3K/pre-K program at 26 Washington as the setting for his announcement of free child care for 2-year-olds, and he shared the stage with children’s educator and internet star Ms. Rachel, aka musician Rachel Accurso.

“I’m feeling happy because yesterday we announced that New York City is going deliver universal child care for every 2-year-old across the five boroughs,” the mayor said after Ms. Rachel asked him why he was happy today.

The kids moved on pretty quickly to their own feelings and announcements and then Rachel and the mayor led the kids in rousing renditions of “If You’re Happy And You Know It,” “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and the ABCs. “Thank you all for being the best class I have seen all year!” the mayor said. (I think the kids were on to him with that one.)

After seeing the images on the mayor’s Instagram, I of course had to do a deep dive on Ms. Rachel, the Millennial Mister Rogers, who is originally from Maine and moved to the city to perform as a singer. She would go on to get her master’s in music education at NYU and teach at Bedford Park Elementary School in the Bronx — then her videos, originally created for her own son, went viral.

She has taken many (heartbreaking and inspiring) moments to support the children of Gaza. She became engaged in the crisis when she was sent a video of kids watching her show in a refugee tent. And she served on the mayor’s inauguration committee as an expert on children.