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Stroller Strides, an exercise program for new mothers to do with their babies in tow, incorporates a cardiovascular workout as moms jog behind heavy-duty strollers with strength training through using rubber resistance bands at various stops.

The newest of Stroller Strides’ 13 sites in the county is at Crossway Community Inc., in Kensington, where leaders of the onsite education and rehabilitation center are hoping for a donation of 20 strollers so families who live at the center can participate.

Corina DuBois, Stroller Strides instructor and franchise owner, said that almost any stroller will work for the exercise program, as long as it can safely be pushed while jogging.

The Stroller Strides program at Crossway is open to families all over the county. Bringing the program there was a way for the center to serve its overall community, according to Kathleen Guinan, Crossway CEO.

Sessions are held at 9 a.m. Thursdays and 5:30 p.m. Mondays at Crossway. Stroller Strides classes are also held at City Place Mall in Silver Spring, Montgomery mall (Westfield Montgomery) in Bethesda, Lakeforest mall in Gaithersburg and White Flint Mall in North Bethesda.

‘‘A lot of the mothers here work during the morning, so we’ll have the afternoon session for them,” DuBois said.

DuBois, of Silver Spring, said she was looking for ways to volunteer at Crossway Community, where her son attends the Crossway Montessori School.

Stroller Strides fits the community center’s goals of bringing together Crossway residents and neighbors from the surrounding communities, Guinan said.

‘‘This provides a vehicle to really do a lot of different things and build up and promote a unique set of values in our Kensington and Wheaton community,” she said. ‘‘The organization has a broad theme of creativity, community and learning.”

Stroller Strides is one of several programs at Crossway Community dedicated to integrating education and support services for families of all ethnic and economic backgrounds.

Guinan said the program would be a great benefit to the mothers and children in the Family Leadership School program.

The leadership school works with mothers recovering from domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse and poverty through an onsite support and housing program for 40 single-parent, low-income families.

The center also has a Neighborhood Community Center that fosters a sense of community and generates funds through recreational, cultural and service learning programs.

‘‘Not only do we serve families who have experienced a lot of trauma in their lives, but we serve all families in the community,” Guinan said. ‘‘The whole community then supports those most at risk.”

The strollers make for a unique exercise, said Rockville’s Andrea Stoffer-Gallagher who recently completed her first Stroller Strides class along with her son, Thomas Joseph, at Crossway.

‘‘The songs, that’s one thing I really liked about it,” she said.

‘‘I could see him on the verge of being restless ... and the songs helped him settle in,” she said of the toddler. ‘‘Those are the songs I use to comfort him, and he knows them.”

DuBois said residents of Crossway will receive free passes to attend any of the 13 sessions across the county. Sessions cost $15 each and are available for discounted weekly sessions or $54 a month for unlimited classes.

At a recent Stroller Strides session at Crossway, Kate Orr of Takoma Park said many gyms have day care centers, but are meant for older children. Her son, four-month-old Ian Wallace, was content to nap in the stroller as she worked her biceps.

‘‘He likes being able to see things when we jog,” she said.

To help

Crossway Community needs strollers for a Stroller Strides fitness program for families.

For information on how to donate, call 301-929-2505, e-mail reception@crossway-community.org.

For more information on Crossway, visit www.crossway-community.org.

For more information on Stroller Strides, visit www.strollerstrides.net⁄montgomerycounty.