Education Home Page
Education and Outreach works to provide consumer information and education to all residents of the state, particularly those populations that are not easily reached through traditional means. Working with other state agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and advocates, we strive to listen to under served communities in order to identify the common problems and obstacles facing them.
Using new and innovative communication tools, such as the adoption of simplified language, and use of nontraditional media, ethnic media and social media in order to reach vulnerable populations, we hope to empower all residents to make smart decisions, easily identify scams and act in their own self-interest. In addition, the department works with nonprofits, businesses and educators to expand access to financial literacy for students and adults across the state.
Working with partners, such as Jump $tart and the Connecticut Science Center, where we co-sponsor Sci Fi, an after-school program for gifted teenagers from public schools in Hartford who are pursuing genomics and robotics educations that focused on financial literacy, we are supporting efforts to ensure that our students have access to financial literacy information prior to graduating from high school.
Individuals with developmental and physical disabilities, low-literacy in math and language, immigrants and refugees, people for whom English is not their first language, the elderly, those living in very rural areas, and others marginalized by access to education, are often overlooked in public policy discussions and outreach - we work to develop the most effective communication tools and language in order to reach them.
Internship Programs
Education and outreach oversees the coordination of our internship programs. More about internships can be found on our Internship Opportunities page.
Request a Speaker
To request a speaker from the Department of Consumer Protection, please contact Catherine Blinder at (860) 713-6021, or at catherine.blinder@ct.gov.
Educational Columns
Each month, our Chief Education and Outreach Officer write a column for Tribuna called "Get Smart - Pass It On" that talks about fraud, scams, and new trends we're seeing in Connecticut's market. Visit Tribuna's website to read each column in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
Notario Fraud
Notario Fraud is a common scam that is targeted to immigrants, and preys on their desire to become American citizens. For more information, and tips on how to avoid being scammed, see our page here.
You will also find some great resources from the FTC: