One with the Water
One with the Water (multiple locations, including at-home lessons), 3201 West Verdugo Avenue, Acton, CA 91505
About
One with the Water offers swimming lessons for kids and babies, adult swimming lessons, and a custom swim program for adults. 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. One with the Water also offers an Adaptive Sports Swim Program for adults, a Dolphin Swim Program for children, and a Guided Mastery Program that follows three steps: Discover, Implement, and Celebrate.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
One with the Water is a 501(c)3 school that was founded in 2011. The program states that everyone deserves access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources, and it was founded with the mission of providing greater access to this skill. The program uses individualized training for special needs, a gentle approach that empowers students to feel safe and comfortable in the water, and guides all students to master every fundamental swimming skill. Special needs swimming lessons are customized to each swimmer’s specific needs, and instructors are equipped to teach swimmers with ADD and ADHD, amputation, anxiety, auditory processing disorders, Autism Spectrum (verbal and nonverbal), Cerebral Palsy, Down and CHARGE syndrome, obesity, sensory integration issues, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and other disabilities. Lessons use mechanical engineering strategies that analyze body mechanics and apply physics to swimming techniques, and they are taught using growth-mindset techniques. The program offers specialty lessons for special needs, service-disabled veterans, and adaptive athletes, and provides need-based scholarships for premium swimming lessons to regular and special needs students and low-income families. One with the Water offers a Guided Mastery Program as a premier three-step program (Discover, Implement, Celebrate) to every swim student and is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians, and is accepting positions for lifeguards and swim instructors.
The leadership team is headed by Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe, who is also an Adaptive Athletes Specialist, USA Swimming Coach, and US Masters Swim Coach. Staff credentials include Kenneth Rippetoe’s Level 4 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association and training with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. Additional staff include 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 notes that instructors are certified and accredited coaches with more than 10,000 hours of experience, and that the program is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians.
One with the Water describes a twofold approach of offering premium swimming lessons and offering 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. The program reports having helped thousands of people become One with the Water and having provided over 1,000 scholarships to those with the highest needs and risk to learn to swim. One with the Water has launched its first affiliate in Central Wisconsin and is a Westside Regional Center vendor.
Parent and adult testimonials describe children becoming comfortable in the water and swimming after several lessons, including a child with an autism diagnosis and a child who was initially afraid to enter the water, and an adult swimmer who progressed to swimming more than 2,000 yards per workout and becoming proficient in all four strokes after training with Coach Kenneth.
Last updated July 2, 2026.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
One with the Water is a 501(c)3 school that was founded in 2011. The program states that everyone deserves access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources, and it was founded with the mission of providing greater access to this skill. The program uses individualized training for special needs, a gentle approach that empowers students to feel safe and comfortable in the water, and guides all students to master every fundamental swimming skill. Special needs swimming lessons are customized to each swimmer’s specific needs, and instructors are equipped to teach swimmers with ADD and ADHD, amputation, anxiety, auditory processing disorders, Autism Spectrum (verbal and nonverbal), Cerebral Palsy, Down and CHARGE syndrome, obesity, sensory integration issues, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and other disabilities. Lessons use mechanical engineering strategies that analyze body mechanics and apply physics to swimming techniques, and they are taught using growth-mindset techniques. The program offers specialty lessons for special needs, service-disabled veterans, and adaptive athletes, and provides need-based scholarships for premium swimming lessons to regular and special needs students and low-income families. One with the Water offers a Guided Mastery Program as a premier three-step program (Discover, Implement, Celebrate) to every swim student and is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians, and is accepting positions for lifeguards and swim instructors.
The leadership team is headed by Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe, who is also an Adaptive Athletes Specialist, USA Swimming Coach, and US Masters Swim Coach. Staff credentials include Kenneth Rippetoe’s Level 4 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association and training with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. Additional staff include 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 notes that instructors are certified and accredited coaches with more than 10,000 hours of experience, and that the program is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians.
One with the Water describes a twofold approach of offering premium swimming lessons and offering 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. The program reports having helped thousands of people become One with the Water and having provided over 1,000 scholarships to those with the highest needs and risk to learn to swim. One with the Water has launched its first affiliate in Central Wisconsin and is a Westside Regional Center vendor.
Parent and adult testimonials describe children becoming comfortable in the water and swimming after several lessons, including a child with an autism diagnosis and a child who was initially afraid to enter the water, and an adult swimmer who progressed to swimming more than 2,000 yards per workout and becoming proficient in all four strokes after training with Coach Kenneth.
Last updated July 2, 2026.
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