About
One with the Water – Swimming Lessons for Kids & Babies offers swimming lessons that include Parent & Me Swimming Classes, semi-private swim lessons, private swim lessons, and the Dolphin Swim Program for children. The program also offers special needs swimming lessons for children and adults, with lessons held in pools heated to 82–86 degrees. Lessons are available every day of the week at public facilities, depending on pool permit hours, and are held daily regardless of the weather unless there is thunder and lightning.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
• Schedule: Lessons offered every day of the week, depending on pool permit hours
One with the Water, a 501(c)3 school, was founded in 2011 by Coach Kenneth Rippetoe with the mission of providing greater access to the lifesaving skill of swimming. The program is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians, and most instructors have over 20 years of experience teaching swimming lessons as well as competing. Instructors are certified and accredited coaches with over 10,000 hours of experience. Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe is a USA Swimming Coach and US Masters Swim Coach and has a Level 4 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association; he has trained with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. The leadership team also includes Mohammad Khadembashi, Team USA National Swimming Coach; Claudia Coletti, 5 Gold Medal Winner World Aquatics Champion; and Silke Rogatko, Olympic Medalist, Adaptive Athletes Specialist, and US Masters Swim Coach.
The program offers a Guided Mastery Swim Program, a three-step One with the Water Easy Start Plan, and uses a Growth Mindset coaching philosophy. It offers semi-private and private swim lessons for adults and children with special needs, English as a second language, and United States Service-Disabled Veterans, as well as an Adaptive Sports Swim Program for adults. Parent & Me classes start at 4 months old, and semi-private lessons are designed for children aged 18 months and up. A swimsuit and a towel are all that is needed for lessons; no flotation devices, flippers, masks, or goggles are necessary, and swim caps can be provided. Families are asked to avoid food or drink at least 30 minutes before a lesson, and if a child needs to eat, it is recommended to eat without liquids.
One with the Water states that everyone deserves access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources. The program offers premium swimming lessons to all children and adults at competitive rates, including specialty lessons for all special needs, service-disabled veterans, and adaptive athletes. It also 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. The program reports having helped thousands of people learn to swim and having provided over 1,000 scholarships, and it is a Westside Regional Center vendor.
Parent feedback includes a report from Peter Hutchinson that his child Connor was not able to swim before but was swimming and comfortable in the water after six lessons. Another parent, Crystal Dodson, describes two boys, ages 6 and 8, one diagnosed with autism and one initially too scared to put his toes in the water; after four swimming lessons with instructor Silke, both were floating on their backs by themselves, going under the water, and the child with an autism diagnosis was swimming on his own. Adult swimmer Scott Greenberg describes starting lessons at age 40, initially moving backward when kicking with a kickboard, and after six months of training with Coach Kenneth, swimming more than 2,000 yards per workout and being proficient in all four strokes.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
• Schedule: Lessons offered every day of the week, depending on pool permit hours
One with the Water, a 501(c)3 school, was founded in 2011 by Coach Kenneth Rippetoe with the mission of providing greater access to the lifesaving skill of swimming. The program is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians, and most instructors have over 20 years of experience teaching swimming lessons as well as competing. Instructors are certified and accredited coaches with over 10,000 hours of experience. Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe is a USA Swimming Coach and US Masters Swim Coach and has a Level 4 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association; he has trained with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. The leadership team also includes Mohammad Khadembashi, Team USA National Swimming Coach; Claudia Coletti, 5 Gold Medal Winner World Aquatics Champion; and Silke Rogatko, Olympic Medalist, Adaptive Athletes Specialist, and US Masters Swim Coach.
The program offers a Guided Mastery Swim Program, a three-step One with the Water Easy Start Plan, and uses a Growth Mindset coaching philosophy. It offers semi-private and private swim lessons for adults and children with special needs, English as a second language, and United States Service-Disabled Veterans, as well as an Adaptive Sports Swim Program for adults. Parent & Me classes start at 4 months old, and semi-private lessons are designed for children aged 18 months and up. A swimsuit and a towel are all that is needed for lessons; no flotation devices, flippers, masks, or goggles are necessary, and swim caps can be provided. Families are asked to avoid food or drink at least 30 minutes before a lesson, and if a child needs to eat, it is recommended to eat without liquids.
One with the Water states that everyone deserves access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources. The program offers premium swimming lessons to all children and adults at competitive rates, including specialty lessons for all special needs, service-disabled veterans, and adaptive athletes. It also 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. The program reports having helped thousands of people learn to swim and having provided over 1,000 scholarships, and it is a Westside Regional Center vendor.
Parent feedback includes a report from Peter Hutchinson that his child Connor was not able to swim before but was swimming and comfortable in the water after six lessons. Another parent, Crystal Dodson, describes two boys, ages 6 and 8, one diagnosed with autism and one initially too scared to put his toes in the water; after four swimming lessons with instructor Silke, both were floating on their backs by themselves, going under the water, and the child with an autism diagnosis was swimming on his own. Adult swimmer Scott Greenberg describes starting lessons at age 40, initially moving backward when kicking with a kickboard, and after six months of training with Coach Kenneth, swimming more than 2,000 yards per workout and being proficient in all four strokes.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
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