Families in southwest Michigan have a new resource in maintaining a healthy weight through a program that makes nutrition and exercise fun for kids and their parents.

We Can! Be Healthy is a free six-week program that brings local families together with experts on healthy eating and staying active. At each 90-minute session, kids spend an hour preparing and sharing a snack together as they learn about nutrition. During the last half-hour of class, children get moving with fun activities.

Families can choose from one of the following We Can! Be Healthy sessions:

• Sundays, Jan. 31 through March 8, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, 905 North Front St., Niles

• Tuesdays, Jan. 26 through March 2, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Sylvester Elementary School, 1 Sylvester Ave., Berrien Springs

• Thursdays, Jan. 28 through March 4, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA, 3665 Hollywood Rd., St. Joseph

We Can! Be Healthy is the latest initiative of We Can! Healthy Berrien. We Can!, which stands for “Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition,” is a program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) designed to encourage healthy lifestyles by promoting good nutrition, physical activity and less time in front of the computer or television. We Can! Be Healthy classes are sponsored through a partnership of Lakeland HealthCare, Andrews University, Berrien County Regional Education Service Agency (RESA), Wal-Mart, the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA and the Niles-Buchanan YMCA.

“Through this program, we’ll lead children in activities that show them that healthy eating and exercise are fun,” said Pam Kurtz, a registered dietitian with Lakeland Nutrition Counseling helping to organize We Can! Be Healthy. “Because parents will be learning these lessons at the same time, we can share this message with the entire family.”

We Can! Be Healthy is limited to children ages 8 to 13. One parent is required to attend class each week. For more information or to register, call (269) 556-7171.