One with the Water
One with the Water (multiple locations, including at-home lessons), Acton, CA
About
One with the Water offers swimming lessons for kids and babies, as well as swim classes and adult swimming lessons. The program provides special needs swimming lessons for children and adults, including semi-private and private swim lessons for adults and children with special needs. It also offers an Adaptive Sports Swim Program for adults, a Dolphin Swim Program for children, open-water swim techniques and strategies, advanced stroke correction, and a custom swim program for adults.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
One with the Water is a 501(c)3 school that was founded in 2011 with the mission of providing greater access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, with a focus on children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources. The organization offers need-based scholarships for premium swimming lessons to regular and special needs students and low-income families, funded by donations, grants, and paid swimming lessons, and has provided over 1000 scholarships. One with the Water is a Westside Regional Center vendor and has launched its first affiliate in Central Wisconsin.
The leadership team is headed by Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe, who is an Adaptive Athletes Specialist, USA Swimming Coach, US Masters Swim Coach, and holds a Level 4 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association, and has trained with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. The coaching staff includes Mohammad Khadembashi, a Team USA National Swimming Coach; Claudia Coletti, a 5 Gold Medal Winner World Aquatics Champion; and Silke Rogatko, an Olympic Medalist, Adaptive Athletes Specialist, and US Masters Swim Coach. One with the Water instructors are certified and accredited coaches with over 10,000 hours of experience, and the organization is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians.
The program describes its coaching team as a swim coaching dream team with world-class expertise in swim training and connecting with children, and it uses a gentle approach that empowers students to feel safe and comfortable in the water. Special needs are a focus, and all special needs swim lessons are customized to the swimmer’s specific needs, including specialty lessons for all special needs, service-disabled veterans, and adaptive athletes. Every swim student receives the Guided Mastery Program, a three-step program called Discover, Implement, Celebrate. Lessons use mechanical engineering strategies that analyze body mechanics and apply physics to swimming techniques, along with growth-mindset techniques, and premium swimming lessons are offered at competitive rates. The organization also offers need-based scholarships for premium swimming lessons for regular and special needs students and low-income families.
Parent and swimmer feedback includes a parent who reported that a child named Connor went from not quite able to swim to swimming and feeling comfortable in the water after six lessons. Another parent of two boys, ages 6 and 8, one diagnosed with autism and one initially afraid to put his toes in the water, described instructor Silke as patient and gracious and shared that by the fourth lesson both boys were floating on their backs by themselves, going under the water, and the child with an autism diagnosis was swimming on his own. An adult swimmer described starting lessons at age 40 with Coach Kenneth, initially kicking backward with a kick-board, and after six months swimming more than 2000 yards per workout and being proficient in all four strokes, and called Coach Kenneth an outstanding teacher and motivator.
Last updated April 2, 2026.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
One with the Water is a 501(c)3 school that was founded in 2011 with the mission of providing greater access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, with a focus on children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources. The organization offers need-based scholarships for premium swimming lessons to regular and special needs students and low-income families, funded by donations, grants, and paid swimming lessons, and has provided over 1000 scholarships. One with the Water is a Westside Regional Center vendor and has launched its first affiliate in Central Wisconsin.
The leadership team is headed by Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe, who is an Adaptive Athletes Specialist, USA Swimming Coach, US Masters Swim Coach, and holds a Level 4 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association, and has trained with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. The coaching staff includes Mohammad Khadembashi, a Team USA National Swimming Coach; Claudia Coletti, a 5 Gold Medal Winner World Aquatics Champion; and Silke Rogatko, an Olympic Medalist, Adaptive Athletes Specialist, and US Masters Swim Coach. One with the Water instructors are certified and accredited coaches with over 10,000 hours of experience, and the organization is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians.
The program describes its coaching team as a swim coaching dream team with world-class expertise in swim training and connecting with children, and it uses a gentle approach that empowers students to feel safe and comfortable in the water. Special needs are a focus, and all special needs swim lessons are customized to the swimmer’s specific needs, including specialty lessons for all special needs, service-disabled veterans, and adaptive athletes. Every swim student receives the Guided Mastery Program, a three-step program called Discover, Implement, Celebrate. Lessons use mechanical engineering strategies that analyze body mechanics and apply physics to swimming techniques, along with growth-mindset techniques, and premium swimming lessons are offered at competitive rates. The organization also offers need-based scholarships for premium swimming lessons for regular and special needs students and low-income families.
Parent and swimmer feedback includes a parent who reported that a child named Connor went from not quite able to swim to swimming and feeling comfortable in the water after six lessons. Another parent of two boys, ages 6 and 8, one diagnosed with autism and one initially afraid to put his toes in the water, described instructor Silke as patient and gracious and shared that by the fourth lesson both boys were floating on their backs by themselves, going under the water, and the child with an autism diagnosis was swimming on his own. An adult swimmer described starting lessons at age 40 with Coach Kenneth, initially kicking backward with a kick-board, and after six months swimming more than 2000 yards per workout and being proficient in all four strokes, and called Coach Kenneth an outstanding teacher and motivator.
Last updated April 2, 2026.
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