Brian Duprey doesn’t mind being put on the spot. “I like parents to ask a lot of questions,” said Duprey, who recently opened Little Angels Daycare and Preschool on Perry Road in Bangor – the fourth in a chain of child care facilities that serve little ones from 6 weeks to 5 years.

Duprey said he is surprised when parents drop off their children without touring the center, inquiring about his philosophies on teaching and discipline, or calling the state to check if any complaints have been filed.

“I love parents who spend an hour drilling my directors. They think they’re being troublesome. I think: ‘Now that’s a concerned parent,”‘ Duprey said during a recent tour of his latest center.

First thing in the morning and the facility already was buzzing with activity. The older children were all smiles as they took turns on the slide outdoors, while the toddlers cuddled inside with their blankets as they listened to a story.

Each brightly colored room in the center bears a different theme. Turtles, dolphins and whales are painted on the walls of the “aquarium” where the 4- and 5-year-olds learn about life underwater. Pictures of elephants, giraffes and hippos have created a “jungle room” for the 18- to 24-month-olds.

The center also features several computers where children as young as 2 learn technology skills. They spend no more than an hour a day using the devices, Duprey said. Several “listening stations” also are set up so children can hear stories and classical music using headsets.

Meanwhile, in the infant room, 13-month-old Connor looked on curiously as staff member Sharon Robertson fed rice cereal and applesauce to 5-month-old Claire.

“She’s not too fond of it yet,” said Robertson, who has been a child care worker for 13 years.

While most of the staff has child care experience, it’s not the determining factor for hiring someone, Duprey said.

“I can tell in a half-hour if someone has a genuine desire to teach and a love for kids,” he said. “I want people with passion.”

Touring the facility with Duprey was his 8-year-old daughter, Angel, for whom the centers are named. Duprey said his wife, Carol, was expecting Angel when the couple opened their first day care business out of their Hampden residence in 1996.

“We branded the company around her,” said Duprey. “She’s like a little focus group. She knows what kids like and what colors the rooms should be painted. Some day I hope she’ll take over the business.”

That sounded like a fine idea to Angel. “Once I get to know kids they like to be around me,” she said with a shy smile.

The couple also has four other children ranging from age 2 to 19.

In 2000, with his home day care business growing by leaps and bounds, Duprey decided it was time to expand.

He opened Little Angels Christian Daycare and Preschool on Broadway in Bangor, one of the few Christian preschool programs in the area.

A year later he started a second facility at Stillwater Avenue. Open until 11 p.m., it’s the only center in the Bangor area that provides evening care, as far as Duprey knows.

Down the road from the Bangor Mall, the place “took off like wildfire,” expanding from seven children to 70 in only three months, he said.

In 2003 Duprey began business at a third center on River Road in Orrington. “I jumped at the chance to open on the other side of the river to serve Brewer and Bucksport parents,” Duprey said.

Aiming to accommodate families in Hampden, Hermon and south Bangor, he opened his newest facility in Bangor’s industrial park.

Serving a total of 175 children, Little Angels has increased its revenue from $150,000 a year in 1996 to more than $1 million, Duprey said.

“We’ve had incredible growth in a bad economy.”

But he’s not resting on his laurels.

The goal now is to expand to the Old Town-Orono and Pittsfield-Newport areas.

Ultimately, Duprey said he hopes to franchise the business and bring it to “every major market in Maine and New England.”

The Little Angels philosophy is to begin teaching early and combine it with plenty of fun, according to Duprey. The curriculum “is designed to stimulate the children’s own creativity, imagination and independence,” according to the center’s mission statement.

Children are introduced to colors, shapes, letters and numbers when they’re 21/2. At age 4, they start the basics of reading and writing. Teachers also focus on manners and citizenship. The pledge of allegiance is recited daily.

Science and cooking projects – tailored to be age appropriate – also are part of the curriculum.

“Yesterday the 3- and 4-year-olds [injected] celery with food coloring to watch it go up the roots. The 21/2-year-olds could decide to bake muffins next week,” said Jill McKenney, executive director.

The curriculum has received praise from some parents “who said they didn’t realize how ready their kids were” for school, she said.

A state representative from House District 114, Duprey serves on the Child Care Advisory Council. In January, that group is considering proposing to the Legislature a bond issue to raise money for a seed capital fund that child care centers could use to apply for low-interest loans to upgrade facilities, he said.

Thirty percent of the children at Little Angels have some form of day care subsidy, according to Duprey. Many parents don’t realize they qualify for child care financial assistance through Penquis CAP or the Department of Human Services, he said.

Duprey is staunch in his belief that the ideal situation for children is at home. “But if a child has to be at day care, we want it to be the next best thing,” he said.

The Dupreys can relate to people’s struggle to find a safe, nurturing place for their children. Serving in the U.S. Navy years ago, the couple relied on day care for their two oldest daughters.

“Looking back now I know why we have such high standards,” Duprey said. “We want a child care center that we’d feel safe taking our own children to.”

Little Angels is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. except the Stillwater Avenue facility, which is open until 11 p.m. More information is available by calling the centers at Perry Road, 947-1818; Stillwater Avenue, 561-4848; Broadway, 942-0595; and Orrington, 989-4088.