Day care facts

. Every day, 13 million preschoolers attend child care centers, according to data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics.

. The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics reports there are an estimated 2.3 million child care workers in the country. More than 40 percent of all workers in the industry are self-employed.

. As of February, there were 2,496 child care centers licensed in the state of Maine.

. The average annual cost of child care in 2000 in Maine was $4,899 for a 4-year-old and $5,527 for a 1-year-old, according to the Children’s Defense Fund.

. Men Teach reports that 3 to 5 percent of all child care providers and preschool teachers in the country are men.