I just wanted to echo what everyone else said and I think you're going about this issue the right way. Repeating a grade is more helpful in the long run and it's much better to repeat 1st grade vs. later on when there is more pressure for social promotion. May be he can get a tutor for the summer if that's possible... not to push him to the next grade but to help him do well in first grade the second time around. I hope it all works out for him.