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 involving 50 women who met to discuss this problem and possible solutions. The women found the meetings to be so educational and therapeutic that, although the research project ended, the women continued to meet. As a result the first Mothers' Center was formed 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. Today there are centers across the United States, most of them with an active membership of 50-100 women. In addition, there are always many centers in development.