Our History

The NAMC's roots stretch back to the early 1970s when a social worker in Nassau County, New York, named Patsy Turrini noticed some of her patients felt conflicted and lacked confidence in their new role as mothers. They felt alone and didn't know where to turn for help. Her concern led to a research study that involved some 40 women, who met regularly to discuss the issues they were facing--along with some possible solutions.

The women found the meetings to be educational and therapeutic. In fact, when the research project ended, they continued to meet and eventually formed the first Mothers' Center, under the auspices of the Family Service Association (FSA) of Nassau County. Word soon spread about the center and the difference it was making in the lives of the women involved. The founding volunteers began getting calls from women all over the United States, wanting to know how to start centers in their own communities. With the help of the founders, Mothers' Centers soon took hold in other parts of the country and in Germany, too.

In response to the demand for information, the FSA helped organize the Mothers' Center Development Project (MCDP). Lorri Slepian, a social worker and one of the founders of the original Mothers' Center, co-directed the project. She and her co-leaders secured funding to hire a small staff. The appearance of Lorri Slepian , NAMC Co-Founder, speaking from the audience on The Phil Donahue Show and a feature article in Parents magazine about support available for mothers at Mothers' Centers in 1984 led to more than 10,000 inquiries from women around the country!

By 1991, the MCDP had grown into an independent organization: the National Association of Mothers' Centers (NAMC). Its purpose was to develop a national support network and serve as a resource for Mothers' Centers across the United States. The number of centers and their programs continue to grow; NAMC continues to nurture and foster that growth. There are now Mothers' Centers meeting in Family Place Libraries, we have an active, informative parenting blog called Mothers Central and we offer parenting webinars. The NAMC also provides an enews with resources and information.

Work/Life Issues

The NAMC's focus on work/life issues began early on as it witnessed the changes women were going through in their working lives. The NAMC heard their members throughout the 1980s when women in greater numbers were taking advantage of the opportunity to enter professions that had been predominantly male in the 70s. In the 90s its members were re-entering the workforce more quickly after childbirth and adoption and pressures to work longer and harder increased. It became clear that not only were mothers handling a double load of both work and family responsibilities, they were also time starved to address any of their own needs.

As a result, the NAMC began addressing work/life issues of working parents with an annual Work/Life Conference instituted in 1996. This program allows employers and employees alike to explore issues in the work/life integration arena. Nationally recognized experts and corporate leaders share their insights into how workplace flexibility and family-friendly policies make good business sense. The NAMC became the host of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility in 2009, to encourage companies to apply and to highlight best practices that benefit both employers and employees.

NAMC's Advocacy Initiative

Despite the many joys and rewards of motherhood, mothering can have long-term and often unanticipated economic repercussions for women and their families. In 2001, following the publication of a highly acclaimed book, The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is the Least Valued, the NAMC invited the author to deliver the keynote address at our national conference. Ann Crittenden's powerful presentation--and the dismaying facts documented in her book--inspired the creation of our Advocacy Initiative.

This Advocacy Initiative launched in 2002, (originally entitled Mothers Ought To Have Equal Rights (MOTHERS). It was spearheaded by the NAMC in collaboration with Crittenden and other authors and activists. The NAMC's advocacy effort is an economic rights initiative with a clear mission: to spark discussion and drive change at both grassroots and national levels about the economic impact and value of caregiving work.

Through the NAMC's Advocacy Initiative we've brought together thousands of people who want to improve the economic security of mothers and other caregivers.

Your (Wo)man In Washington blog is our blog to help mothers change the conversation about issues that affect mothers and other caregivers.
The NAMC also produces an Advocacy Edition of its enews.

Accomplishments