s ▁efforts ▁to ▁encou rage ▁new ▁organ izing ▁and ▁rest ruct ure ▁the ▁um bre lla ▁group , ▁she ▁was ▁also ▁sharp ly ▁and ▁public ly ▁critical ▁of ▁the ▁S ween ey ▁administration ' s ▁inter ference ▁in ▁the ▁internal ▁politics ▁of ▁the ▁Team sters ▁union . ▁Feld man ' s ▁position ▁on ▁the ▁A FL - C IO ▁executive ▁council ▁was ▁strength ened ▁when ▁A FT ▁secretary - tre as urer ▁Edward ▁J . ▁Mc El roy ▁was ▁elected ▁to ▁that ▁body ▁in ▁December ▁ 2 0 0 1 . ▁ ▁Feld man ▁was ▁diagn osed ▁with ▁breast ▁cancer ▁in ▁October ▁ 2 0 0 2 . ▁After ▁treatment , ▁she ▁returned ▁to ▁full - time ▁work ▁with ▁the ▁union ▁early ▁the ▁next ▁year . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 3 , ▁Feld man ▁proposed ▁a ▁major ▁educational ▁policy ▁initi ative , ▁known ▁as ▁" K inder g arten - Plus ." ▁The ▁program ▁would ▁extend ▁kind erg arten ▁to ▁children ▁as ▁young ▁as ▁three ▁years ▁of ▁age , ▁expand ▁the ▁kind erg arten ▁school ▁day , ▁and ▁reduce ▁kind erg arten ▁class ▁sizes . ▁ ▁The ▁goal ▁was ▁to ▁better ▁prepare ▁children ▁for ▁entry ▁into ▁the ▁first ▁grade ▁and ▁help ▁overcome ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁deb il it ating ▁effects ▁pover ty ▁had ▁on ▁young ▁children . ▁ ▁Although ▁well - rece ived , ▁only ▁one ▁state ▁( New ▁Mexico ) ▁had ▁en act ed ▁a ▁Kinder g arten - Plus ▁program ▁two ▁years ▁later . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁fall ▁of