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

Contributing topics
Access, quality & alignment in early childhood education
Education finance
Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes
Publications by James F. Mensing
Child Care Selection Under Welfare Reform: How Mothers Balance Work Requirements and Parenting
Child Care Selection Under Welfare Reform
How Mothers Balance Work Requirements and Parenting
This paper examines how mothers select childcare to meet welfare-to-work requirements. Interviews with seven mothers from different ethnic groups show that trust in childcare providers to keep their children safe is the most important criterion.…
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Remember the Children
Mothers Balance Work and Child Care Under Welfare Reform—Executive Summary
A four-year study aimed to learn how welfare reform affects children's upbringing and development, showing early warning signals such as low-quality childcare and social isolation among women. The report provides a baseline picture for 948 families…