The "old school" way to do this would be to start with a cheap acoustic, kid gets frustrated, then quits.
IME many of the hencho-en-china instruments are perfectly serviceable. The reality is that a setup will be needed on pretty much any production instrument you buy, including MIA Fenders.
If the Strat-pack thing doesn't break your budget, it is a reasonably cheap entry to see if there is any interest. Find a teacher and start lessons as bad habits start early. Any teacher worth his/her salt will be able to do basic tweaks to the setup.