FARM TO SCHOOL (F2S) PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN PROMOTED AS OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE CHILDHOOD NUTRITION AND EDUCATION THROUGH SCHOOL GARDENS, COOKING LESSONS, AND FIELD TRIPS TO FARMS (NFSN 2017). ALTHOUGH MANY EDUCATORS AND SCHOOL NUTRITION STAFF ARE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT F2S, THEY FACE BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS THAT HARNESS THE FULL POTENTIAL FOR ENGAGING K-12 STUDENTS IN HANDS-ON FOOD AND GARDEN-BASED LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM. IN A RECENT EVALUATION OF GEORGIA ORGANICS' STATEWIDE FARM TO SCHOOL EFFORTS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOL NUTRITION STAFF REPORTED A NEED FOR INCREASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT--INCLUDING THE NEED FOR SUPPORT IN STARTING AND MANAGING EDIBLE SCHOOL GARDENS AND INTEGRATING FARM TO SCHOOL INTO THE CURRICULUM (THOMPSON AND NARCISO, 2017). A LACK OF FUNDING AND EXPERIENCE WERE ALSO CITED AS MAJOR REASONS THAT F2S PROGRAMS WERE NOT GROWING. PARTICIPANTS SAID THAT THEY NEEDED MORE PERSONALIZED CONSULTATION WITH EXPERIENCED STAFF WHO COULD ASSESS THEIR F2S EFFORTS AND PROVIDE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUPPORT. TO ADDRESS THESE NEEDS, THE GROW IT, KNOW IT (GIKI) TRAINING PROGRAM AIMS TO DEVELOP AND PILOT A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT TRAINS AND SUPPORTS A COMMUNITY OF K-12 EDUCATORS IN IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GARDEN-BASED LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM. THIS PROGRAM WILL BE MODELED UPON THE BEST PRACTICES IDENTIFIED IN THE SUCCESSFUL GIKI PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED IN CLARKE COUNTY, GEORGIA. IT WILL BE PILOTED WITH EDUCATORS FROM BARROW COUNTY, GA. THIS PROJECT INCLUDES SEVERAL COMPONENTS: FIRST, AT THE DISTRICT-LEVEL, WE WILL PROVIDE WEEK-LONG SUMMER INTENSIVE TRAININGS FOR SCHOOL-BASED F2S TEAMS TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE AND A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE IN SUPPORT OF GARDEN-BASED LEARNING. THIS TRAINING WILL BE REINFORCED THROUGH MONTHLY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. EACH YEAR, ONE SCHOOL TEAM WILL RECEIVE A MINI-GRANT AND ON-GOING CONSULTATION WITH THE PROJECT COORDINATOR TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GARDEN-BASED LEARNING AT THEIR SCHOOLS. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN A TESTED GIKI TRAINING TOOLKIT THAT WILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHEAST VIA EXTENSION.GIVEN THE PRESSURES OF A GROWING POPULATION AND INCREASED DEMAND ON NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY, IT IS CRITICAL TO EDUCATE STUDENTS ABOUT FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO EXPAND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR K-12 EDUCATORS TO SUPPORT HIGH-QUALITY AND SELF-SUSTAINING, EXPERIENTIAL TEACHING AND LEARNING TO ENGAGE STUDENTS AROUND THESE CRITICAL ISSUES.REFERENCES:NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK (2017). WHAT IS FARM TO SCHOOL. HTTP://WWW.FARMTOSCHOOL.ORG/ABOUT/WHAT-IS-FARM-TO-SCHOOL, ACCESSED 12/16/2017.THOMPSON, J. J. AND M. NARCISO (2017). GEORGIA ORGANICS FARM TO SCHOOL EVALUATION: 2014-2017. HTTP://WWW.FARMTOSCHOOL.ORG/RESOURCES-MAIN/GEORGIA-ORGANICS-FARM-TO-SCHOOL-EVALUATION-2014-2016, ACCESSED 12/16/2017.