Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day to Jack and Tuesday Johnson.

Jack Johnson is the food service director over the Barnwell 45 and Blackville 19 school districts. His wife, Tuesday, is the food service director over the Williston school district.

The importance of school breakfast is not lost on the Johnsons for two reasons.

First, the week of March 7 is National School Breakfast Week, a campaign in which the importance of starting a school day with a healthy breakfast is stressed to students. Numerous studies have shown the correlation between eating a good breakfast and better academic performance among grade school students.

Second, South Carolina is No. 2 among the 50 states that serve breakfast to its schoolchildren who are eligible to receive free and reduced lunches, said Jack Johnson.

South Carolina has 60.2 percent of its students participating in both the school breakfast and lunch programs. New Mexico was first in the nation for participation at 62.8 percent and Vermont was third at 59.7 percent, according to S.C. Department of Education data.

"Times are hard. Some people don't want to apply because of the stigma," Jack Johnson said.

All South Carolina schools participate in the federally funded school breakfast program, which was established by state law during the 1993-94 school year. The program serves about 37 million breakfasts annually or about 222,500 students daily on average, according to S.C. Department of Education data.

The national school breakfast program was first established in 1966.

For Tuesday Johnson, the Williston program overall has garnered some national recognition.

The Williston school district received a silver award through "Healthier US School Challenge," a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.

The district won because its food service served healthier meals and also served more grains instead of white bread, she said.

Tuesday Johnson was the food service manager at Kelly Edwards Elementary School when the school won the award. She was named the district food service director July 1, 2009, she said.

However, the silver award is more than just an official pat on the back.

"It puts us in a better position for grants. It has its plus side," Tuesday Johnson said.

The Williston food service is also basing more of its after-school snack offerings on healthier, pre-packaged fruits and vegetables than having to prepare items, she said.

Also, the food service switched from serving as much processed foods to fruits and vegetables, Johnson said.

Besides National School Breakfast Week, nutrition is being stressed as learning topic to Williston students all during March, Tuesday Johnson said.

The Williston food service program will be recognized by the district for its silver award during a program at the elementary school at 9:30 a.m., March 19.