James F. Mensing

mensing
James F. Mensing
Executive Director, Edgewood Center for Children and Families,
Edgewood Institute

James F. Mensing is the executive director of the Edgewood Center for Children and Families at the Edgewood Institute. He was a senior research analyst at the Center for Families, Children, and the Courts with the Judicial Council of California, contributing to policy development and research initiatives to improve family and juvenile court systems. He has also practiced law with Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS), advocating for underserved communities, and worked as a senior legal editor and writer with Matthew Bender & Co Inc., a division of LexisNexis Group, specializing in legal publications. He was formerly a lecturer and researcher at the Berkeley School of Education, focusing on education policy and child development. Mensing earned his JD from New England Law–Boston and his PhD in education from the University of California, Berkeley.

updated 2025

Publications by James F. Mensing
How Mothers Balance Work Requirements and Parenting
This study examines the reasoning and experiences of mothers in selecting childcare while trying to meet welfare-to-work requirements. Three theoretical positions that have been used to look at child care selection—rational choice, structuralist,…
Mothers Balance Work and Child Care Under Welfare Reform—Executive Summary
In the summer of 1998, we began to invite single mothers with preschool-age children—all entering new welfare programs—into a four-year study. Our premiere aim was to learn how the upbringing and development of children may be altered by the…