WASHINGTON – One in 10 U.S. children has been or will be affected by the nation's surge in foreclosures, a new report says.

Kids at risk

Five years into the foreclosure crisis, an estimated 2.3 million children have lived in homes lost to foreclosure, according to a report from First Focus, a Washington, D.C-based bipartisan advocacy group focused on families.

Another 3 million children live in homes at risk of foreclosure because home loans are in the foreclosure process or are seriously delinquent. And 3 million children lived or live in rental homes lost to foreclosure or at risk, the report says.

Julia B. Isaacs, a senior fellow with the Urban Institute and the author of the report, said a foreclosure can hurt children in several ways.

"Children are often the invisible victims"

"Children are the often invisible victims of the foreclosure crisis," said Isaacs.

When a school-age kid has to move unexpectedly, it often means that they must switch schools mid-year. Isaacs said other research has shown that kids who switch schools have lower levels of math and reading achievement, even after controlling for other factors such as poverty.

Census Data

Isaacs' analysis used Census data on living arrangements of families combined with estimates of foreclosures by state to come up with the estimates.