The roots of the CoLab High School Program go back to 2022, when Teachers Life launched the original flagship Press Start CoLab Program, a 10-week accelerator for 50 changemakers aged 18-29 from across Canada, giving them access to entrepreneurial tools, industry-leading mentors, and grant funding to develop solutions to pressing social issues, including the mental health crisis in Canada. That proven foundation shapes everything the CoLab High School Program is today; now in its third year as the exclusive focus of Press Start.
Teachers Life has been a part of Ontario’s insurance and education communities since 1939. As word spread through the education community about the CoLab Program, and as educators began asking for something similar for their students,it felt like a natural next step. So, in 2024, we launched The Press Start CoLab High School Program as a pilot, bringing the CoLab experience into Ontario high schools for the first time.
The response exceeded our expectations. Demand was strong, the results were meaningful, and the fit with our roots in the education community, was clear. That’s why we made the decision to focus Press Start exclusively on the high school experience. Starting in fall 2026, we will be offering two CoLab High School programs a year, one in the fall and one in the spring – timed to the school calendar and shaped by the feedback of educators who asked us to make the program available beyond a single annual cohort.
Since 1939, Teachers Life has been a Canadian life, disability, and sickness insurer, and is one of the largest insurers for education workers in Canada. We are a fraternal not-for profit insurer with a mandate to give back to our Members.
Since 2010, through innovation, we’ve been able to significantly streamline our process, generating more than $4.1 million for reinvestment back to the community and our Members. Press Start is just one way we give back to educators and students.
Email: pressstart@teacherslife.com
Phone: Toll-free at 1-866-620-5433
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