Mom always said breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and the experts agree. In fact, Governor Mike Rounds has declared it School Breakfast Week in South Dakota. When it comes to the benefits of eating breakfast, the list is long. Experts say it provides energy to improve concentration, boost your memory, even put you in a better mood. The School Breakfast Program has been up and running since 1975. Now, child nutrition programs in South Dakota serve about 23,000 breakfasts per day in 820 sites around the state.

In this busy day and age a growing number of families are making sure kids get their breakfasts by having them eat the first meal of the day at school. I called a Program Specialist with the South Dakota Department of Education and she said kids in this state often don't get enough fruits, vegetables and milk. By eating breakfast at school, she says they get that milk on their cereal or in a carton. If those aren't enough benefits of breakfast, astudy released just this week, shows kids who eat the first meal of the day, are less likely to be obese.

About 2/3 of South Dakota School Districts serve breakfast right now, but there's a push to get more schools to take part. That's one of the goals behind School Breakfast Week.