2005 marks the 30th year since the first Mothers' Center opened in Hicksville NY in 1975.

In 1973, Patsy Turrini, a social worker at Family Service Association in Nassau County, New York, expressed concern about the high proportion of women who described pregnancy and the first few years of child rearing as a profound struggle marked by conflict, uncertainty and diminished self-esteem and self-confidence. The concern led to a research project, conducted in discussion groups, involving 50 women who met to discuss this problem and possible solutions. The women found the groups to be so educational and therapeutic that, although the research project ended, the women continued to meet. As a result the first Mothers' Center opened in Hicksville, NY under the auspices of Family Service Association of Nassau County, New York (FSA).

As word spread about this activity, other Mothers' Centers were formed across the U.S. (and in Germany). In 1981, FSA helped develop the Mothers' Center Development Project (MCDP) to meet the increasing demands for information about replicating new sites, and to do consultation and networking. In 1991, the MCDP became an independent, free-standing organization called the National Association of Mothers' Centers (NAMC). FSA of Nassau County, which had supported this program through the years, helped the NAMC during their transition to a separate, incorporated, national, non-profit organization.

Over the years, there have been over a hundred Mothers' Centers. Some have endured for over 20 years while others have had a shorter life span. Today there are centers across the United States, as well as in Australia and Nigeria, and there are always several centers in development. We're proud of the 30 year legacy of the the network of Mothers' Center programs, mothers offering each other support, sharing information in a non-judgmental way, discussing parenting issues, examining the issues that face mothers, fathers and families today, valuing the work of mothering, and advocating for changes they feel are necessary for the health and well-being of themselves, their children and their families.