Our History
The work of The Parent Child Center of Tulsa began in 1972. The current agency structure was officially incorporated on May 1, 1990, merging two smaller United Way agencies: Child Abuse Prevention Services and At Risk Parent Child Program.
When Colorado pediatrician C. Henry Kempe, M.D., first coined the phrase “battered child syndrome” in the mid-1960’s, medical professionals across the country and around the world took notice.
In 1972, nurses and physicians at Tulsa’s St. Francis Hospital responded to needs in our community surrounding child maltreatment by founding a Tulsa chapter of Parents Anonymous, a self-help group for parents. In May 1981, that organization was granted 501(c)(3) status and operated under the auspices of the Alliance to the Tulsa County Medical Society. In 1984, the organization received United Way funding. It was renamed Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS) in 1987.
In 1974, the At Risk Parent Child Program began at Hillcrest Medical Center when medical personnel noticed the need for programming surrounding child maltreatment. Pediatrician Donald Pfeiffer, M.D., and Cathy Ayoub, R.N., established one of the nation’s first “SCAN teams” to screen families of newborns for risk of abuse and neglect. They designed a home visiting program called “At Risk Parent Child Program” to offer parenting education.
To better serve clients and meet the needs of the community by offering similar child abuse and neglect prevention services under one roof, the Boards of Directors of Child Abuse Prevention Services and At Risk Parent Child Program worked for two years, at the urging of the United Way, toward a merger which became final in 1990.
In 1997, The Parent Child Center of Tulsa completed a $3.2 million dollar capital/endowment drive and moved into its current location at 1421 South Boston in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In 2006, Desiree Doherty was named Executive Director, succeeding Claudette Selph who was the founding Director from 1990 to 2006.
From 2006 to 2016, the agency grew in size and scope. The agency provides state of the art child abuse prevention programming, and has become known for innovation in the area of infant mental health. The agency has become a leader working to change local court and child welfare systems to improve outcomes and prevent future court involvement in the lives of very young children through the community collaborative effort of the Safe Babies Court Team.
In February 2008, the agency received national accreditation through the Council on Accreditation, and was re-accredited in February 2012.
Regina Moon served as The Parent Child Center of Tulsa’s President and CEO from 2018 until 2021.
In November 2021, Melanie Anderegg joined The Parent Child Center of Tulsa as President and CEO.
Prior to PCCT, Melanie was Chief Operating Officer and Clinical Director for 12&12, Inc., a non-profit Comprehensive Community Addiction Recovery Center, responsible for the clinical programming and overall daily operations of the organization. She joined 12&12, Inc. from Grand Lake Mental Health Center, a non-profit Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. During her eight years at 12&12, Inc., she also served as Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Compliance, providing direction and oversight of all accreditation, compliance, technology, and business functions of the organization. Melanie has an extensive history working in the non-profit sector, dating back to 2001, where she held positions such as Victim Advocate, Juvenile Justice Specialist, Therapist, and Clinical Manager. She earned her MS from Oklahoma State University in 2010 and a BS in Social Sciences in 2005. Melanie has many accomplishments in the areas of workflow and process improvement, program best-practices, budget analysis, and company culture reform. She was also published in VISTAS Online, including an article on Addressing intrapersonal characteristics and interpersonal relationships of children of alcoholics. Melanie demonstrates extreme passion and commitment to providing paths of HOPE and success to those less fortunate, vulnerable and underserved.
Today, The Parent and Child Center of Tulsa is considered a leader among Tulsa area nonprofits in the areas of best practice, quality improvement and outcome evaluation.
